


My Heart Beats For You

by rambledore



Series: My Heart Beats For You [1]
Category: Disney - All Media Types, Frozen (Disney Movies), Guardians of Childhood & Related Fandoms, Guardians of Childhood - William Joyce, Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Jelsa - Freeform, Kristanna, Panic Attacks, Phobias, Semi-Slow Burn, Texting, Trauma, happiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:14:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 29,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23229202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rambledore/pseuds/rambledore
Summary: From the corner of his eye, he could see someone sitting down next to him, right before a gentle wave of vanilla hit his nostrils. It was a girl, that much he was sure of – he'd never met a guy who used vanilla shampoo. Well, maybe North, that definitely wouldn't surprise him.Or: Jack and Elsa, both a little damaged, meet during a mandatory class.
Relationships: Anna & Elsa (Disney), Anna/Kristoff (Disney), E. Aster Bunnymund & Jack Frost, Elsa (Disney)/Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood), Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III & Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood), Jack Frost & Toothiana
Series: My Heart Beats For You [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1698715
Comments: 44
Kudos: 95





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my new multichapter Jelsa story. I estimate it'll be around 30-40k at length, at who knows how many chapter - maybe 10? We will see. I don't know how often I'll be updating it, but I hope it'll be at least semi-regular.
> 
> A couple of things - this is a human/no powers AU set in modern settings in college.
> 
> Please, leave a comment, it's what keeps me going, ay?
> 
> If you find any grammar errors, please, don't hesitate to point them out to me. English is not my first language, some shit is bound to happen.

_Cold._

_He felt nothing but cold._

_Suffocating. Pressure._

_Cold._

_He couldn't breathe. He couldn't breat—he couldn't breathe._

_Light, slowly ebbing away._

_So, so cold._

_Pain in his chest._

_Cold, so cold._

_Darkness, slowly crawling in. If he could just close his eyes, just for a second... there. He doesn't need to breathe anymore._

_There's no light. Nothing but darkness._

Jack woke up with a start, eyes wide, cold sweat making his t-shirt cling to his skin. He cast his gaze wildly around, barely seeing shapes in the dark. He was breathing fast, and once he realized this, he tried to control his breathing.

Deep inhale, deep exhale.

Once Jack finally managed to calm down, he stood up from the sweat-soaked bed and went to the bathroom. Before he entered, he looked at his phone at the time.

5:17 AM. Delicious. No point in trying to go back to sleep, then.

Turning he light switch on, he flinched at the sudden influx of light.

When he opened his eyes, he didn't recognize himself in the mirror. Well, not the old him, anyway. Deep, purple circles betrayed his fatigue. The slouch definitely did not help, either. His hair looked oily. He snorted to himself.

„Could make me a grilled cheese on these," he mumbled. He didn't look healthy, not really. He was paler than usual, his eyes looked dim. He avoided looking at his chest.

„Need a goddamn shower," he whispered. Jack stepped in the shower, and with shaky hands, slowly turned it on. He gasped when the hot water hit his skin, and then relaxed nearly immediately, his posture saggy.

After he showered and brushed his teeth, Jack changed the sheets and put the dirty ones in the laundry – he'd take care of those, later.

His phone buzzed.

_6:13 AM – Good luck on your first day as a junior, Jack! -Nick_

Jack smiled to himself. Leave it to North to send him a goodluck message. He sighed.

„First day as a junior, eh?" he said out loud, his voice resonating in the empty apartment. „What's the worst that could happen?"

Elsa woke up with a start, her hand flying to her phone to turn off the alarm nearly instantaneously. She glared at it. She got a full night's sleep for the first time in forever, only to get woken up by her alarm clock? To that song, nonetheless?

She sighed. 7:30 AM. She vaguely remembered setting it up last night before going to bed. Good. At least she now had the time to freshen up, as to not look like an average zombie college student roaming the campus.

Like her dearest sister, for example. Today would mark Anna's first day as a college freshman, in contrast to Elsa's first day as a junior.

„ANNA!" she yelled, „WAKE UP!"

She heard some vague sound that could be described as a groan through the thin walls, and she smirked a little. Gently tiptoeing through the apartment, Elsa slowly and carefully sneaked into Anna's room. The girl was still asleep, her hair a bird's nest, a little bit of drool at the corner of her mouth. Elsa's eyes softened as she looked at her sister. So young, so precious.

This would be sweet.

Quietly, Elsa grabbed a pillow from her sister's bed, and with a smirk, smacked her right in the face with it.

Anna bolted upright. „WHA—? ELSA!" she yelled.

Elsa couldn't contain it any longer, and she set her giggles free, clutching her sides. Jesus, she hadn't laughed this much since high school! Anna, seeing her sister laugh like this, gently smiled. If that's what she would get for getting woken up this rudely, she'd take it every day.

Once Elsa managed to calm down, she looked at Anna, and noticing the soft expression on her face, she sent her a questioning one in return. Anna just shook her head.

„Nothing, sis. Ready for your first day? What's your first class?"

Hearing Anna's excited questions, Elsa felt butterflies in her stomach. Not the good kind – but the kind that started eating her insides. She forgot to take her pills, preferring to wake up her sister rather rudely.

„As ready as I could ever be, and if I recall correctly, it's an introductory class for stress management and mental health? What about you?"

Honestly, a stress management class for juniors? For freshmen, yes, she could understand, they needed to adapt and ease themselves into it, but she thought that for juniors, such lectures weren't necessary, and it would only take up her much valued time for herself.

She realized Anna had been talking the entire time. „—ure, honestly, but I think it's either Acting or History of the Theater. I'll check my timetable later."

„You do that. I'll go put myself together, wouldn't want to scare my peers," Elsa smiled at gently at Anna and slowly made her way towards the bathroom.

„YOU'RE TOO PRETTY TO SCARE ANYONE, ELSA!" Anna yelled back.

„They don't call me the Ice Queen for nothing," she said quietly.

„WHAT?"

„Nothing, sister dear," she yelled back.

After a quick shower, she applied some eye shadow and mascara, no foundation needed. Pulling her hair into a french braid, she felt the tightening deep inside her, and her lip started to tremble a little.

 _Deep breath, Elsa._ The pills. She forgot to take her pills.

Jack had been sitting at the back of the lecture hall for nearly twenty minutes, gently typing away on his laptop, his gaze intense and focused. When he closed the tab, a picture of himself, North and his sister stared at him, all of them wearing bright smiles on their faces. He shook his head and smiled, a little nostalgic smile. If only his mother could see him now. See her now. She probably wouldn't be proud of him, but she definitely would be proud of her, of that he was sure.

From the corner of his eye, he could see someone sitting down next to him, right before a gentle wave of vanilla hit his nostrils. It was a girl, that much he was sure of – he'd never met a guy who used vanilla shampoo. Well, maybe North, that definitely wouldn't surprise him. Shaking his head, he focused on his laptop again.

His focus was useless, as the professor entered only a few minutes later, silencing the entire junior class with a look. The class was about to start. He sighed.

Why was this mandatory, again?

The professor introduced himself as Counselor Hans Westergaard, and he looked to be only a couple of years older than him, with ridiculous sideburns and a spring to his step that seemed too fake to be genuine.

„Welcome back, students!" he said, clapping his arms together. Jack's eyes nearly rolled out of his head when he heard the fake enthusiasm. Good. He definitely wasn't the only one who didn't want to be here. „I believe your summer vacation went well! Now, I'm incredibly excited, as I'm sure is the rest of you. Here, we will learn, together, how to battle stress and what it means to have good mental health. Should you have any questions, please, don't hesitate to ask!" he finished.

„If his sideburns are as fake as his words, I wonder how much glue he uses to keep them stuck on his face," he mumbled to himself, annoyed with the professor's false words, and even more so with his fake cheerfulness.

Jack heard someone snort from the next seat over, followed by a sound of soft giggling. His head snapped to his right, and his eyes fell upon the source of the sounds – it was the vanilla girl, who was looking at him with amusement in her eyes and a smile on her face. She was still giggling.

She was beautiful.

Jack's mouth automatically quirked upwards into a gentle smile, his cheeks reddening ever so slowly. She seemed to have noticed, and her smile widened in response. Jack quickly averted his gaze. He could feel her eyes on him for a few seconds. Before he could ponder on it, the feeling disappeared, leaving him to focus on the fake words of the so-called counselor.

„Now, since this is our first lesson, normally, I'd ask everyone to introduce themselves. However, seeing as there's about three hundred of you just in this hall, how about you write me a short essay about your most traumatic experience and send it to me? You have 20 minutes. Chop chop."

At the counselor's words, Elsa's eyes nearly bogged out of her head.

„What the fuck?" This time, it wasn't her laughing – rather, she heard a loud snort from her left. It was the pretty boy who made the joke about Counselor Westergaard's sideburns. Her cheeks felt hot.

She had noticed him right before she saw down, only minutes prior to the lecture. He was good looking, with sharp jawline, blue eyes a few shades darker than her own, and, of course, a full head of silver hair, which surprised her the most. The boy seemed to be around her age, maybe a year or so younger, which was not so surprising.

If she hadn't taken her year-long sabbatical, she would be a senior.

What surprised her were the deep circles under his eyes, not unlike her own only a few short months ago. Or maybe weeks? It was only the first day, though, it didn't make sense. Why did he look so tired?

It wasn't just one's regular, college-induced fatigue. This seemed deeper. He looked tired to the bone – physically and mentally.

She wondered what happened to him, but she knew it wasn't her place to ask. She didn't even know his name. She'd never met him before.

Also, she had been staring at him for a few minutes now. He had definitely noticed, based on the raised eyebrow. She blushed and shook her head, before mumbling a quiet apology and turning away.

Her greatest trauma, really? And to e-mail it to him? A college counselor? She could barely talk about her trauma to Anna, who pretty much went through the same thing. She refused to open up to some random college counselor whose smile looked about as fake as her own on a bad day.

Unbeknownst to them both, Jack's line of thinking followed hers.

Twenty minutes later, when only a couple of students sent their essays, the counselor's patience seemed to run out.

„Only twelve students actually wrote what I asked them to. Would anyone like to share why the rest of you didn't?"

Jack tensed, and the words flew out of his mouth before he could stop them. „Well, counselor, maybe it's a little hard for people to share the hardest moments in their life with a person who is barely qualified to be a counselor, don't you think?" his voice resonated in the large hall.

Jack was pretty sure he could hear a pin drop in silence such as this, but he didn't care. He continued. „You claim to be a counselor, but do you even realize how hard it is for some people to actually talk about their issues with a trusted person? No, you probably don't. You probably can't think to save your life. How about you show some respect to everyone here?"

The more he talked, the more he noticed Counselor Han's face redden – whether it was with embarrassment or with anger, he wasn't sure. Probably both.

„You," the counselor snarled, „leave. Now."

Not even sparing him a glance, Jack packed his things and stood up. His eyes caught the pretty blonde sitting next to him, who was looking at him with something akin to shock in her eyes. He broke the eye contact and pulled his hood up. Jack felt her eyes on him until he closed the door.

It was a slow day at the Starbucks, which allowed Jack to be interrogated by one of his best friends.

„You're shitting me, right? You seriously got kicked out of your first lecture, on the first day of school, because you told off a professor?" Hiccup asked, writing a name that didn't even resemble the one the customer gave him.

„He ain't even a professor," Jack responded, „he's a fucking counselor who doesn't know shit about what it means to actually help people."

Jack decided not to mention the pretty blonde to either of his best friends.

Hiccup laughed. „Well, someone's grumpy today."

Jack sighed. „Sorry, didn't get much sleep tonight. Again. Plus the whole getting kicked out of the lesson fiasco... God, I hope North doesn't find out."

„Doesn't find out what?" Jack turned around, coming face-to-face with a person he least expected to see today. His face broke into a smile.

„Hey, Aster. Whatcha doin' here?" he asked. Aster looked at him incredulously.

„Ordering coffee, what does it look like I'm doing?"

„Oh, I don't know, visiting your best friend, for example?" Jack responded sarcastically.

Aster slapped himself on the forehead. „Right, yes!" He looked at Hiccup. „How are you, best friend?"

Jack rolled his eyes. „Ass."

Jack was also pretty sure he hard Hiccup mumble _jackass_ under his mouth, which resulted in Hiccup getting gently smacked upside the head.

„Movie marathon at ours tonight? Hiccup, you could bring Astrid. Tooth's been asking about her. Jack, you in?"

After both Jack and Hiccup confirmed their affirmative, with Jack's being far less enthusiastic than Hiccup's (mostly because he wanted to get some sleep, but he knew he wouldn't get it, anyway), Aster threatened, „Now give me my Nitro Cold Brew, Overland, before I talk to your manager." His usual theatrics were not surprising in the least. Jack rolled his eyes again.

„Yes, Karen."

„Dipshit."

„Love you too, Sonjack."

„What the fuck, Bunnymund?"

„So, how was your first day?" Elsa asked as she and Anna strolled through the park, both of them with ice cream in their hands. At the question, Anna immediately perked up.

„Oh my God, it was so awesome! Theater history is so interesting, like you wouldn't believe! Who knew Shakespeare was a memer? Oh, and acting is so much fun! Though I still prefer singing. And everyone was so nice! Oh, that reminds me, Kristoff called me, says he wants to take me out to dinner tonight," she finished with a dreamy sigh.

Elsa smiled at her sister's enthusiasm, and her smile only widened at the mention of her sister's boyfriend of two years. „I hope you have fun, sis."

Anna finished her ice cream and wrapped an arm around Elsa's shoulder, who tensed slightly. Before Anna had a chance to lean away, Elsa relaxed into the touch and smiled. „Thanks, I definitely will. What about you? How was the.. stress health class?"

Elsa laughed. „Stress Management & General Health. It was... definitely interesting. The counselor's a dick, though."

Anna choked. „This is probably the first time I've heard you swear since high school! Spill, now!"

And so, Elsa told her. Told her about the stupid, entitled counselor, told her about his even more stupid sideburns, and, of course, mentioned the unsung hero of the day, who stood up to him and put the dumbass in his place.

„Wow," Anna said, stars in her eyes. „Was he hot?"

„Anna!"

„Sorry, sorry! But I mean.. was he..?"

Elsa sighed. „Yes."

Anna squealed.

Half an hour later, they found themselves in front of the local Starbucks, which was mostly visited by other students of their college. Elsa, an engineering major minoring in business, consumed large quantities of coffee. Mostly black and homemade. She had never been to this Starbucks before.

Elsa was pulled out of her reverie by Anna shaking her shoulders. „Come on, let's go! I want a pumpkin latte and by God, I am getting a pumpkin latte!"

Elsa rolled her eyes, not without affection, and entered the coffee shop with her sister in tow. What she didn't expect, however, was the silver haired barista bickering with his colleague.

She stopped in her tracks, her anxiety flaring up, freezing her in place. Elsa's eyes widened. She took her pills, why was she reacting this way?!

„Elsa, are you okay?" a gentle hand touched her shoulder, and Elsa shook her head to clear it. She smiled at Anna and nodded. „Yeah, let's go."

„Two hotties coming in, eleven o'clock," mumbled Tuffnut. Jack gave him a hard glare. Tuffnut promptly shut up. When he looked at the two approaching hotties, as Tuffnut put it, his eyes nearly bulged out of his head when he saw the pretty blonde from his lecture today, with a girl who looked fairly similar to her, only shorter, more freckled, and strawberry blonde hair.

„Welcome to Starbucks, a place full of love and joy," said Jack monotonically. He grinned a little at their flabbergasted expression. „What can we offer you today?"

The strawberry blonde smiled. „One pumpkin spice latte, please! Make it big. Name's Anna."

„One pumpkin spice latte for Anna, got it. And.. you?" he asked, looking straight into the platinum blonde's eyes. She blushed. He blushed, too.

„Uh, one caramel macchiato, please," she said quietly. Jack smiled kindly at her.

„Your name?"

Her eyes widened. „Huh?"

Jack thought she was adorable. „Your name.. for the cup?"

„Oh, uh, right. Elsa. My name's Elsa," she said, this time with more confidence.

Jack smiled. Elsa. What a pretty name.

„I'm Jack," he said, and then facepalmed.

 _Dumbass_ , he thought. The girl – _Elsa_ – however, seemed to find it amusing. „Nice to meet you, Jack."

„Nice to meet you, too," he said gently, looking into her eyes. He cleared his throat. „Anyway! One caramel macchiato for Elsa, also coming right up!"

From the corner of his eye, he noticed Hiccup looking at the exchange with great interest, as was the strawberry blonde. Anna? Anna.

Jack set out to make the drinks, while Hiccup rattled off the price. During the making process, Jack was silently berating himself.

„You've got issues, Overland, but you used to be smooth. Jesus Christ, why would you tell her your name when you asked for hers for a fucking coffee cup. Come on," he whispered quietly to himself, making sure no one heard him.

After the drinks were done, he promptly gave them to the girls, hopefully not mixing them up. He shouldn't, considering the latte was hot and the macchiato was cold, but one never knew. With a final glance, the girls left, and Jack sighed.

„So... Elsa, eh?" Hiccup said, waggling his eyebrows.

„Shut up, Haddock."

„What was that?" Anna questioned.

„What do you mean by?" Elsa asked, pretending to be confused, all the while knowing what her sister was asking. She decided to play dumb.

„You were totally eye fucking the guy!" Elsa choked on her macchiato. What a shame, it tasted divine.

„I was not!"

„Was too!"

Elsa sighed. „Look. You are, no doubt, aware of the boy I told you about. The one that told off the counselor?"

After seeing Anna nod, she said, „That was him."

Her sister's eyes widened. „Him?! HE was the one that told the counselor to fuck off?"

Elsa winced at her sister's use of language, but decided not to berate her on it. She nodded.

„Well, that one's a hot piece of a man. Not my type, obviously," Anna said.

„Obviously," Elsa nodded, her voice dripping with sarcasm. „Listen, can you just drop it?"

Seeing Elsa uncomfortable, Anna decided to indeed drop the topic. She still thought the guy was hot. And based on the way he looked at Elsa's face (when Anna was a child, she used to think Elsa hung the moon. The guy wore a very similar expression), he thought she wasn't bad herself.

She shipped it.

„So, what did we hear about you embarrassing yourself in front of a pretty girl?" Tooth asked that evening, her voice mischievous.

Jack groaned. „Fuck off, Tooth."

She tsked. „That's not how you talk to your elders, mister."

He rolled his eyes. „You're a month older than me. What's the point of your question?"

„Jack, you used to be a heartbreaker," at his indignant protest, she hastily corrected herself, „you used to be able to flirt yourself out of any situation. What gives?"

„Nothing. I just got tongue tied. I was tired. I still am. Drop it." Seeing his expression, Tooth relented, but not before giving him a look.

Deciding to throw him a bone, she asked, „So, what movies are we watching today?"

„I.. I thought Aster was taking care of it?" The confusion in his voice was hilarious.

Tooth smirked.

„Dipshit."

Tooth laughed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little lighthearted, but don't worry, the deeper, more serious stuff will come up as soon as they get closer together!
> 
> Please, leave a comment. Talk to me. I'm lonely.

Jack focused on his breathing, on the rhythm of his feet hitting the pavement, and kept his gaze forward, trying to ignore the familiar, yet welcoming burn in his lungs and the pain shooting up his side with every step he took. After lying awake in his bed for nearly two hours, unable to fall asleep once again, he found himself jogging through the park not so far from his apartment.

His adrenaline playlist blasted in his ears, definitely doing its job, if Jack said so himself. He hadn’t felt a rush like this sinc—

_Not going there, Overland._

Instead, he let himself get lost in the music. The bass, the guitar, the clean vocals, the throat destroying growling.

He closed his eyes for a second, the sadistic part of his brain enjoying the fatigue, the pain, the sense of accomplishment after running for nearly forty minutes straight. When the side stitch eventually became too much, Jack decided to take a quick break and just breathe. Which, of course, meant that he unceremoniously threw himself on the ground and groaned.

Honestly, Jack didn’t care what people thought of him, save for his friends, but for once, he was glad that the park was empty. It was four in the morning, after all, and the sun had just begun to peek through the clouds. Normally, Jack would’ve enjoyed the sight of the sunrise, but he was currently preoccupied with swallowing grass and breathing deeply through his nose.

After what felt like a million years, but was, frankly, about ten minutes, he forced himself to get up. His t-shirt was clinging to him, and while he felt a great sense of accomplishment, he also felt mildly disgusting. Looking around, Jack noticed that he was fairly close to his apartment building. He breathed a sigh of relief and checked his phone. Scrolling through the notifications, most of which he ignored, he checked the time. It was still way too early, but he began to notice some early morning joggers in the park. He sent a nod to those he knew, and they nodded back.

Jack’s stomach growled.

„Shit, I could eat a horse!“

Normally, Jack got to campus on foot each morning, enjoying the crisp, fresh air and the cardio. After his stunt some hours prior, he decided to forgo this tradition, as he was fairly sure he would not be able to walk by the time of his classes‘ end. Also, the first class of the day was starting in ten minutes. Mounting his motorcycle, a gift from North for his eighteenth, the beastly machine rumbled to life, and Jack had probably never felt a deep sense of satisfaction and comfort. 

The bike was his baby, and finally, he got around to stretch its legs. Five minutes later, Jack found himself on campus grounds. Taking his helmet off, Jack ran a hand through his hair, making the messy locks of silvery-grey hair even more mussed up. He checked the time.

„Shit,“ he cursed.

The class had just started, and Elsa felt a slight twinge of disappointment. Looking at the empty seat, which had usually been occupied by a certain barista in the weeks since the new term’s start, she was pulled out of her daydreams by the sound of the hall door bursting open, with a slightly flustered Jack standing in the middle.

The twang disappeared almost immediately. Elsa decided not to dwell on it. By the sheepish look on Jack’s face, he seemed to have noticed how loud his dramatic entrance was. Elsa looked down and smiled a little.

Jack, of course, sat down next to her, just as he had for the past three weeks. And, just as he had for the past three weeks, he looked at her and gave her a warm smile. Elsa, of course, smiled back.

She was not used to smiling around anyone other than Anna, and while it came as a surprise at how easily her smiles came out for this particular boy, she didn’t really mind it. What she did mind, however, was the fact that they hadn’t had a single conversation ever since Anna dragged her into the coffee shop Jack worked at.

Deciding not to dwell on it, or at least, not to dwell on it for the moment, Elsa focused on Counselor Westergaard’s words, and shuddered. The man gave her chills.

Elsa felt something hit her shoulder a few minutes later, and as she look at the offending object in question, her look of surprise turned into a look of apprehension. A note. Seriously, a note? She looked at Jack, but he was firmly keeping his eyes on anything but her, even though she could still see him struggling not to smile.

Rolling her eyes, she looked at the note.

_if i have to listen 2 him for anodr minute, imma explode.. wanna ditch? -J_

Elsa bit her lip. She read the note again, then looked at Jack. He was looking at her rather intensely.

Elsa nodded. Jack’s face broke into a huge smile, and she couldn’t help but smile back.

They found themselves walking around campus, both of them strangely shy. For Elsa, it wasn’t anything new. She had always been a rather introverted person, her only friend being her baby sister. For the definitely not first time in her life, she didn’t know what to say. Her companion, apparently, didn’t know what to say either.

Luckily, the silence wasn’t nearly as awkward as it could be. It was mostly comforting. After a while, however, he broke the silence. „It’s funny,“ he said, his baritone catching her off guard. Seeing the look on her face, he smirked. „We barely know each other. We talked once. And yet, I feel strangely comfortable with you.“

Elsa smiled gently, but the familiar feeling of butterflies returned. Whether it was the good kind or the bad kind, was kind of hard to discern at the moment. She didn’t forget to take her pills.

„I feel the same way,“ she said eventually, her voice oddly quiet. Jack’s eyes crinkled slightly when he smiled, and for a second, it seemed as though the deep circles under his eyes were gone. From then on, the conversation flowed rather smoothly.

Jack and Elsa found themselves on a bench sometime later, both of them forgetting the world around them.

They talked about trivial things, never going too deep, for both of them subconsciously, without thought, knew that some things were better left unsaid. For now. Jack asked about her majors, and Elsa happily described her adventures in Engineering and Business, growing fairly passionate as she talked about different branches of engineering. Jack paid rapt attention, not really understanding most of the theory she was telling him about, but just seeing the way her eyes lit up when he asked her to elaborate something he didn’t understand, or the way her mouth curved into a beautiful, magnificent smile when he asked her if he understood something correctly.

Jack was pretty sure he had never seen a girl as beautiful and as passionate as Elsa. On one hand, she was reserved, a girl one would definitely notice for her beauty, but still a rather invisible person, who preferred to keep it that way. He had a feeling, though, that once she got out of her shell, she would be breathtaking. And not just for the asthmatics.

„Oh my God, I got carried away! I’m so sorry!“ she apologized, sounding horrified. Jack just shook his head, and on reflex, he put his hand on her shoulder. Elsa flinched, and he immediately withdrew.

This time, it was him doing the apologizing. „I’m sorry.“

Elsa smiled in response. „It’s okay. I just.. am not used to people. Touching me. I’m not a very tactile person,“ she explained, and Jack nodded in understanding. „My sister, however, is the most tactile person you’ll ever meet!“

„Tell me about her?“ Jack asked. Elsa looked at him and shook her head. „Nu-uh, mister. Now it’s your time to share.“

Jack laughed a little. „Well, I major in English, mostly because I like writing. But,“ he said, „I want to become a teacher, actually.“

„You minor in Education?“ she guessed.

„Nope,“ he said, and after a few seconds, he clarified, „I minor in Psychology. I want to be a college professor.“

„Why psychology?“

„Okay, this is gonna sound a little.. weird, but bear with me, alright?“ He was quiet until she nodded, after which he started speaking again. „My goal is to become a college professor, yes, maybe a writer. Who knows. But I also really want to be a guidance counselor. A high school guidance counselor. One that actually helps the kids, you know? Not like that excuse of a teacher we just ditched.“

Elsa nodded in understanding, giggling slightly at his last sentence. „There’s a deeper reason for that, isn’t there?“

„Yeah,“ Jack said. „There is.“

He didn’t elaborate further, and Elsa didn’t push him. „I promised to tell you about my sister, didn’t I, professor?“

Jack laughed. God, she was cute. „Yes, I believe you did.“

And so, Elsa talked. She told him about how close they were, how much fun they used to have when they were kids. She told him stories, some of which even she was surprised she remembered.

„Oh, and she is a student here,“ she finished. Jack quirked an eyebrow.

„I’ve noticed.“ Elsa blushed and looked down, slightly embarrassed. Jack thought he offended her, but when she looked up, she was smiling.

„Yes, you did.“

Jack’s phone buzzed. „Oh, crap.“

„What is it?“

„We’ve been here for three hours,“ Jack said, checking the message from Hiccup, asking him where the fuck he was and that his shift was starting in fifteen minutes.

„WHAT?“ Elsa exclaimed.

„Yeah, I’ve got work in fifteen minutes,“ he said, smiling a little sadly.

„Let me walk with you to the parking lot?“ she asked, and he nodded, maybe a little too enthusiastically. Elsa didn’t seem to mind. And so, off they went, chatting all the while. The conversation didn’t get stilted the whole way, and once they reached his bike, Jack said quietly, „I really enjoyed your company.“

He wanted to smack himself. _I really enjoyed your company, Overland, REALLY?_

Elsa did not seem to notice his internal self-roasting, and only nodded in response. „I did, too.“

„I’d like to do it again, sometime,“ Jack said, his voice confident. He didn’t feel confident. His hands were clamming.

Elsa’s lips curved into a beautiful, wide smile, and she nodded. „I’d love that.“

Before he had a chance to say anything else, Elsa took out a piece of paper from her bag along with a pen, and scribbled something on it. Jack felt high.

She put the piece of paper onto his palm. Her hand was warm. „Text me.“

Jack was pretty sure he hadn’t smiled this wide in a year.

While Anna was engrossed in the movie, Elsa was trying very, very hard not to look bored. But she was. God, she was bored. Anna chose the movie, and Elsa being Elsa, she couldn’t deny her anything. And so, there she was, sitting on a couch, her feet on Anna’s lap, not paying the least bit of attention.

Her phone buzzed.

_Oh, thank God!_

She immediately backtracked her earlier praises of the deity when she saw the notification. She still smiled, though.

_[Instagram] jackdad_overland has requested to follow you._

She bit her lip, looking at Anna. She was still too engrossed in her movie. Elsa, being an amazing sister, decided not to tell her about today’s events. Or, well, today’s event, also known as Jack And I Talked About Stuff For Nearly Three Hours And Then I Gave Him My Number™. She would tell her eventually, but while she loved her dear sister, Elsa also knew that Anna could be a little... too enthusiastic about any new people in Elsa’s life. Or just people in general.

Shaking her head, she accepted the follow request and immediately followed him back. He, too, accepted her request almost immediately. Without hesitation, she scrolled through his profile. Jack didn’t have many posts (to be fair, neither did she), but while they lacked in number, they more than made up in content.

His latest one, from nearly three months ago, was of him with a kitten on his shoulder. She liked that one immediately. Before that, however, his last post was from nearly a year and a half ago. It was obviously a selfie, capturing him and a girl who looked to be about thirteen. Where Jack was all pale skin, cool eyes and silver hair, the girl had a warmer complexion, with chocolate brown hair and honey-like bright brown eyes. That’s where the differences ended. It was obvious from their facial structures that they were family, confirmed only by the caption, _Best sister in the world._

She also liked that picture.

Elsa scrolled deep and found a post from nearly three years ago, capturing Jack and three other people. A girl with bright purple-green hair, a boy that looked like he could actually murder someone had he not been smiling, and, to her surprise, Jack’s colleague – the other barista. Hiccup?

She took a good look at Jack. She knew he was younger than her by maybe about a year, and here, he looked to be about eighteen. What surprised her the most, however, was the bright, happy energy that seemed to just flow off him, even on a picture. He looked happier, there were no circles under his eyes. He wasn’t as pale. There was still a little bit of sadness in his eyes, a sadness she saw every day in the mirror.

Should they become closer, Elsa hoped that eventually, he’d tell her what happened.

Of course, she liked that one as well, albeit by accident. Her shocked gasp pulled Anna out of her movie obsessed stupor.

„What’s going on, Elsa?“

Elsa just shook her head. „Nothing.“

_elsa_arendelle: I gave you my number, you know._

_jackdad_overland: i do, i saved it dw. texting is old fashioned tho_

_elsa_arendelle: We’re texting right now, Jack._

_jackdad_overland: ye i kno, but i actually get to look at u_

_jackdad_overland: ur profile pic, i mean_

_jackdad_overland: not u as in u, i swear im not a stalker_

_elsa_arendelle: Haha, don’t worry, I didn’t think you were._

_jackdad_overland: u r tho_

_elsa_arendelle: What?_

_jackdad_overland: u do kno that when u like someones pic, that person gets a notification_

_elsa_arendelle: I plead the fifth._

_jackdad_overland: fair enough_

_jackdad_overland: good choice_

_jackdad_overland: would it b too stupid of me to say (again) that i enjoyed our_

_jackdad_overland: uh... talk? 2day?_

_elsa_arendelle: No, Jack, it wouldn’t. I enjoyed it very much, myself._

_elsa_arendelle: And, as I have mentioned today, I definitely would not mind if we did it again._

_jackdad_overland: over coffee, maybe?_

_elsa_arendelle: I’d like that._

_elsa_arendelle: I’d like that very much._

_jackdad_overland: its a date_

_elsa_arendelle: It is indeed._

Elsa came to the coffee shop the next day, along with Kristoff and Anna, who managed to pry the details of yesterday’s conversation with Jack out of Elsa. Of both their conversations.

Elsa was pretty sure she developed tinnitus overnight from Anna’s squealing, while Elsa herself had to take her pills before bed from all the anxiety her texting with Jack had brought her. She made a mental note to go to Sandy again for her prescription. 

Jack was behind the counter, making drinks and talking to customers, and when she caught his eye, he sent her a surprised look, along with a bright smile. She returned it automatically, her eyes crinkling slightly at the edges, and waved.

Anna didn’t notice, as she was too busy exchanging heart eyes with Kristoff. Elsa rolled her eyes fondly.

Kristoff went to order their coffees while Anna and Elsa took a seat by the window, enjoying the sunshine. When Kristoff came back with their coffees, each of them having their names on it, Elsa gratefully took hers  
.  
Kristoff’s coffee spelled Christof, Anna was spelled correctly, Elsa’s had Jack’s phone number on i—wait, what?

There it was, indeed.

_Elsa  
202-555-0119 -J:)_

She looked at Jack, who only winked before going back to his duties. Elsa took a sip of her coffee and smiled, enjoying the taste, all the while thinking about how Jack said last night that texting was old fashioned. Dork.

Kristoff definitely noticed the phone number written on the cup, by the way he was looking at her. She raised an eyebrow at him, and he just shrugged and smirked before casting his gaze at Jack. Elsa rolled her eyes and saved Jack’s number.

So, yeah, he had given her his number. Two years ago, he probably would’ve pranked her and pretended to be a Nigerian prince before finally giving in and telling her it was him.

He had matured, obviously.

„Stop daydreaming, Overland,“ said Hiccup, hitting his shoulder. Jack stuck his tongue out at him.

„Kiss my ass, Haddock,“ Jack teased.

„Sorry, love, you’re a bit too pale for my taste,“ Hiccup retorted, and Jack choked on a laugh.

„You didn’t complain last night,“ Jack purred, and Hiccup’s eyes widened. Jack shot him a look of confusion, but Hiccup wasn’t looking at him. Rather, he was looking behind him.

Wincing, Jack turned around, coming face-to-face with his boss. „If you two are quite done?“ their boss asked, his massive arms crossed over his chest.

The two boys gulped and nodded. Oaken’s stern expression turned into a grin, letting them know he was just teasing. „Oaken, you son of a bitch, you scared the shit out of me,“ Jack said.

Oaken just laughed. „You’d think you’d know me by now, Jack,“ he wheezed, still laughing. Jack rolled his eyes.

He was working with children, honestly.

The letters were dancing. Why were the letters dancing? They should not dance.

„Ah, fuck it,“ Jack grumbled, closing the book, allowing his eyes to rest slightly. He had been studying for hours for his upcoming exam, trying to cram at least some knowledge into that stupid brain of his. It had worked for the first hour or two, but then it quickly became apparent that Jack’s lack of sleep was beginning to catch up to him.

„Good thing I can run fast,“ he mumbled, and then slightly laughed at his joke. Jack’s limbs felt heavy, but the exam was fairly important, so he chose to push through and pull an all-nighter. He was just about to go and make something to boost himself when his phone buzzed, along with his stomach when he realized who the notification was from.

_elsa_arendelle: Thank you for giving me your number, Jack._

_elsa_arendelle: However, I’d still prefer to talk here, if that’s okay with you?_

Jack smiled, quickly typing out a reply.

_jackdad_overland: no probs, i acc feel the same_

_elsa_arendelle: Are you busy? I can leave you alone if you want._

_jackdad_overland: nah, just taking a break from studying, abt to give myself a boost, wbu?_

_elsa_arendelle: A boost? What do you mean?_

_elsa_arendelle: Also, I’m about to make dinner for my sister and I. Any recommendations?:)_

_elsa_arendelle: Bear in mind, I’m a terrible, terrible cook._

_jackdad_overland: uh..how do i put it... imma make coffee_

_elsa_arendelle: That doesn’t sound too bad._

_jackdad_overland: BUT_

_elsa_arendelle: Oh-oh_

_jackdad_overland: instead of water imma mix it with energy drink_

_jackdad_overland: i call it the hyperactive death_

_elsa_arendelle: Jack, no._

_jackdad_overland: JACK YES_

_jackdad_overland: anyway_

_jackdad_overland: for the cooking recs_

_elsa_arendelle: Cooking recs._

_jackdad_overland: ye_

_jackdad_overland: for the cooking recs.. you can enver go wrong with lasagna_

_jackdad_overland: never*_

_jackdad_overland: also im p sure yaint that bad of a cook_

_jackdad_overland: brb_

_elsa_arendelle: That’s actually a great idea! Thank yo—what do you mean brb?_

_elsa_arendelle: Jack, don’t. You’ll get a heart attack._

_jackdad_overland: TOO LATE, ALREADY DOWNED IT_

_jackdad_overland: ...why can I hear colors_

_elsa_arendelle: Oh my God._


	3. Chapter 3

Jack was hanging out at Hiccup and Astrid’s place, along with Aster and Tooth, who, contrary to what most people believed, were not an actual couple. The thought of these two smooching booties nearly sent Jack to the toilet, dry heaving. Nearly. He wasn’t that weak. Their friend group, who had known each other since high school, or, in Jack’s case with Hiccup, since middle school, unanimously decided to spend their free Friday at Hiccup’s.

Mostly because Jack didn’t want to be alone and while his friends could be teasing little shits, they still cared about him.

„Alright, let’s play some Uno!“ exclaimed Aster, clapping his hands together, „who’s in?“

All of them groaned, with the exception of Tooth, who perked up. She and Aster loved Uno, mostly because both of them were the reigning champions of the group, the only people that could match them, being the other.

„Come on, it’s not Monopoly, it doesn’t destroy families!“ Tooth exclaimed, already searching for the pack. Jack groaned again, this time with more drama behind it.

„Uno doesn’t destroy, Uno kills,“ grumbled Hiccup, and Jack only nodded in agreement. „Thank fuck Astrid ain’t here, she’d probably tear the entire pack apart in the first five minutes.“

„Where she at, anyway?“ Aster asked, shuffling through the deck Tooth gave him.

Hiccup shrugged. „Here and there. Training, mostly.“

„Oh, right, your girlfriend, the MMA fighter,“ Aster giggled, „means she must be pretty dominan—“ Aster did not get to finish his sentence, for his face was suddenly preoccupied with a pillow.

Hiccup smirked and highfived Jack while Aster sputtered indignantly. Tooth, meanwhile, was laughing her ass off, clutching her stomach.

„Now, let’s play, shall we?“ Tooth said with a dangerous glint in her eyes. Jack gulped.

Twenty minutes later, after Hiccup begged him not to, and Jack set the +4 card down anyway, the boys were chilling on the couch while Tooth was sitting on a chair next to them, her feet resting on Hiccup’s lap. Hiccup and Aster were watching a movie, Tooth was doing a crossword puzzle like the grandma she was, and Jack was texting Elsa, debating about the fine applications of bread on Snapchat while also discussing their date, which was set to be this lovely evening. They had been texting on and off for nearly a week, now, eventually exchanging their Snapchats and other various forms of social media.

„Why are you smiling like a dork?“

Jack’s head snapped up, his eyes meeting Hiccup’s, who was smirking. That little bastard knew exactly why he was smiling, and yet here he was, betraying him like the little shitstain he was. Hiccup’s eyes suddenly brightened, and his smirked grew wider. „Wouldn’t the reason be this pretty blonde, would it?“

Jack threw his phone case at him.

„I have a date today,“ Elsa mentioned a few minutes before the end of her session. Sandy, her psychiatrist, seemed to perk up at that a little bit.

„Oh?“ he asked, his tone professional, if slightly curious.

Elsa smiled a little. „Yes. A boy I met in class. He’s... different, I believe would be the right word to use. He has no problem telling off a teacher for being insensitive towards his students, and he rides a motorcycle, but at the same time, he understands my boundaries and doesn’t push them, even if I don’t explicitly tell him not to.“

„Interesting,“ he said. „How do you feel about the prospect of the date?“

Elsa sighed, trying to put her thoughts into words. Sandy waited, patient as always. Finally, Elsa seemed to find the right words. „I don’t know, really. I’m excited. Definitely anxious. Nervous? Happy? I really don’t know.“ After a few seconds of silence, Elsa quietly added, „I’m scared.“

„Of what?“

„Of letting someone in,“ she whispered, looking down. Sandy’s eyes softened a little.

„It’s okay to be afraid, Elsa,“ he said gently, and she looked up at him, „but it’s important to conquer your fear. Do you like him?“

She answered without hesitation, „Yes.“

„Does he like you?“

Elsa paused for a bit, and then said, „I think he does.“

Sandy smiled. „I think you’re ready.“ He elaborated under Elsa’s questioning gaze, „to slowly start putting yourself out there. A date is a good start, albeit a little unconventional.“

Elsa smiled a little, „That’s a good thing, yes?“

Sandy smiled in return. „Yes,“ he said, half a second before his alarm started ringing, indicating the end of the session. „Here’s your prescription for your pills.“

Elsa accepted the prescription, „Thank you. I believe I’ll need them.“

„Oh, and Elsa?“ said Sandy before she left. After she turned around, he smiled widely, „Good luck!“

_elsa_arendelle: Can I talk to you for a second?_

_elsa_arendelle: About our date._

_jackdad_overland: yeah sure_

_jackdad_overland: whats up, is everything alright?_

_jackdad overland: we still on for today?_

_elsa_arendelle: Yes, we’re still on. I just wanted to ask you if you could forgo your motorcycle?_

_elsa_arendelle: Just for tonight? I’d like for us to take a walk later, maybe?_

_elsa_arendelle: If that’s okay with you?_

_elsa_arendelle: If not, I understand completely._

_jackdad_overland: elsa, breathe_

_jackdad_overland: yeah sure imma forgo the bike_

_jackdad_overland: i dont actually ride it that much tbf_

_jackdad_overland: so u dont have to worry_

_jackdad_overland: anything else?:)_

_elsa_arendelle: 4 PM at Jitters, right?_

_jackdad_overland: miss arendelle_

_jackdad_overland: are u expecting me_

_jackdad_overland: jackson overland, employee of starbucks burgess_

_jackdad_overland: to betray it and go to jitters with you?_

_elsa_arendelle: Yes._

_jackdad_overland: good_

_jackdad_overland: because thats what were boutta do!_

_jackdad_overland: cant wait, im so excited!_

_elsa_arendelle: Oh, Jack. So am I._

_elsa_arendelle: I shall see you there!_

When Elsa told her sister about her upcoming date, Anna had pretty much immediately decided to stalk the shit out of Jack, including following him on Instagram without hesitation. He accepted the request and returned the follow, no questions asked. She cooed over the kitten picture. Elsa couldn’t blame her, she had done the same thing.  
Anyway, that’s how Elsa found herself standing in front of a full length mirror at 2:30 PM, an hour and a half before she was set to meet Jack. Anna was with her in the room, going through her closet and asking her a million questions every few seconds.

„Where are you going? What are you going to wear? Oh, right, I’m supposed to help you pick the outfit: I love the make up! Why aren’t you wearing your braid? Are you leaving your hair down?! You look so pretty when you do that! Not that you aren’t pretty with your hair in that french braid of yours, I mean, you do, but it looks like it could snap someone’s neck if you slapped them with it. Personally, I like it, and I’m pretty sure Jack does, too! Your make-up looks so pretty, oh my GOD!“ Anna rambled on and on, allowing Elsa to safely tune out without remorse.

The blonde looked at herself. Anna was definitely right about two things – yes, she was about to go out with her hair down, and yes, her make-up looked awesome, if she said so herself. The dark mascara, and a combination of bright purple and pink-burgundy eye shadow, only helped to accentuate the bright blue of her eyes. A light blush finished her look.

„I think you should wear this,“ Anna said, throwing a pair of black skinny jeans ripped at the knees. Elsa looked at them properly. Yes, that would do. She smiled at Anna and thanked her.

„How about white?“ asked Anna, and Elsa shrugged. Anna sent a huge grin her way and quickly emerged a few minutes later with a very pretty loose white blouse with three-quarter sleeves. Elsa fell in love.

Of course, she finished the look with her rarely worn three-inch heels.

„Need a scrunchie?“ Elsa turned and smiled at Anna, silently accepting her offer with a nod. She put the fabric on her wrist, should she need to put her hair in a ponytail or a braid at a later time.

„Look at you, a walking, talking, breathing bombshell! I hope you have fun!“

Elsa smiled. She hoped so, too.

Jack found himself at the café nearly half an hour before he was set to meet Elsa. Like most people his age, he usually came late instead of early, so he decided that this time, he’d beat her to the punch. 

She beat him to the punch. He smiled. Of course she did.

Jack looked at her, but Elsa seemed to be in her own little word, drawing something on a piece of paper, oblivious to everything going on around her. She looked peaceful, calm.

Perfect.

He calmly strolled over to the booth, and careful not to spook her, he gently said, „Fancy seeing you here this early.“

It didn’t work.

Elsa nearly jumped out of her skin, and if he weren’t feeling terrible for it, he would be laughing his ass off. He threw his arms up in surrender, smiling sheepishly, a bit teasingly, perhaps. „Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. Mind if I sit?“

Elsa seemed not to hear him, however, as her eyes were working overtime, taking it all in. Dark blue jeans, white button up, black denim jacket, bright smile, dark circles, silver hair. He cleaned up quite nicely.

Jack cleared his throat, and Elsa nearly jumped out of her skin again, this time managing to catch herself. She looked at his amused expression and mock scowled. „It’s not polite to scare a girl you’re on a date with, Jack.“

Jack, in response, smoothly sat himself down. „Hi,“ he smiled.

„Hi,“ she responded softly, her smile gentle. They held eye contact for a couple of seconds before Jack slowly looked down. 

„Whatcha got there?“ he asked, not prying, merely curious.

Elsa looked down, a little self consciously, before pulling herself together and looking up at him again. „I draw sometimes. You can take a look, if you want, I don’t mind,“ she said, seeing his unasked question. 

Jack slowly turned the paper around and slid it closer to himself, before letting out a small gasp. He’d never seen a work so detailed and precise – it was as if she was using a ruler when there wasn’t any in sight. The geometric lines took shape, making them into a beautiful, elaborate snowflake. Hiccup and Aster put together wouldn’t be able to draw it with just their hand, a pencil, and a piece of paper.

Elsa kept biting her lip, her anxiety slowly firing up.

„Wow,“ Jack whispered, and looked her. The anxiety all but evaporated, leaving a faint trail of butterflies in its wake – butterflies she felt whenever she was near him.  
„You like it?“ she asked, her smile slowly growing wider and wider.

„Like it? Elsa, I love it. Oh my god, it looks beautiful! I can barely draw a stick figure!“ he exclaimed, and this time, she laughed freely. Jack looked slightly puzzled, but hearing her laugh, he smiled open and wide, letting the musical sound envelop him.

„It’s.. it’s just something I whipped up while I was waiting for you,“ she admitted a few minutes later.

„Since when are you here?“

„Oh, about three?“ she said, her response sounding more like question, unsure.

„Yeah,“ he smiled, „you definitely beat me to the punch.“

It was sometime later, once they had their coffees in hand – which Jack refused to let her pay for, he was a gentleman, after all – that they finally began to talk a bit more. The conversation flowed easily, perhaps even easier than their last one. They talked about lighthearted topics, which eventually turned into philosophy. Jack found out that while Elsa was a engineering slash business major, she knew her philosophy and English drama, which resulted in them talking about their favorite books and the implications of Kant’s categorical imperative, a debate both of them enjoyed immensely.

Before either of them could blink, an hour passed, and Elsa decided it was time to stop talking about things, and start talking about them. She wanted to get to know him better.  
„Were you born here?“ she asked.

Jack didn’t seem the least bit puzzled at her abrupt change of topic, and answered without hesitation, „No, actually. I grew up in a small, small town called Hawthorne, not that far from here. My sister and I moved here when I was twelve, after..,“ and there, he seemed to hesitate. Not wanting to push him, but also wanting to give him some support, she slowly put her hand on his and squeezed. He seemed to regain his composure, and continued, his voice slightly deeper, now, „after our parents died.“

Elsa squeezed his hand again, stronger this time, her own memories of pain and grief flashing through her eyes. She closed them, took a deep breath, and opened them once again, only to meet Jack’s concerned gaze. „I’m so sorry, Jack. I know what it feels like to lose a parent,“ she said.

Jack put his arm on top of hers, sandwiching hers between his, „Do you want to talk about it?“ he asked gently.

Elsa shook her head. „Not now. Maybe later?“

He nodded in understanding and continued, „Anyway. We moved here afterwards, got adopted by our godfather. That’s when I met Hiccup, actually. We’ve been inseparable ever since,“ he smiled at the memories, „finished high school. Got here. Made new friends along the way... yes, I’m quoting The Road to El Dorado... my sister still lives with North, she’s fourteen now. We see each other a couple of times a week. Sorry, I got carried away a little,“ he apologized sheepishly, his hand creeping into his hair, messing it up even more.

Elsa smiled. „It’s okay. I’d like to hear more. Tell me about your sister?“

Jack chuckled at the throwback and nodded in acceptance. „Her name’s Mary, and she’s a little runt,“ he began, and talked and talked. Elsa’s eyes softened at every word he said, her attention on him rapt and unbreakable. He talked to passionately, his voice captivating and full of love he so obviously felt for his sister.

She didn’t know him that well, not yet, but she could see herself falling for him. And soon.

Unbeknownst to her, Jack felt the same way.

„I’m sorry, darlings, but we’re about to close. It’s nearly ten,“ the waitress said, feeling a tiny bit sorry for them, two lovebirds engrossed in one another. But, she was dead tired and wanted to go some, so she felt much less sympathy than she usually would.

The pair looked at her with wide eyes, apologizing profusely and quickly leaving the café.

„Young love,“ she muttered to herself, „I love carbs more.“

Jack and Elsa strolled through the city. While New York was known as the city that never sleeps, Burgess was known as the city that sleeps half the time. Yes, it was huge, but even at 10 PM on a Friday night, it was still fairly empty. Or maybe it was just the part of the city they were in, who knows.

He saw Elsa shiver slightly from the corner of his eye. Immediately, he shrugged his jacket off, and despite her protests, put it around her shoulders. The jacket looked a few sizes too big on her, and his heart melted a little at the sight of her buried in it. She looked completely and utterly adorable.

Jack looked at her properly, and noticed that despite her make up, she seemed tired. There were no visible circles under her eyes, unlike his, but her eyes looked heavy.  
„I think I should walk you home now,“ he said quietly, and she nodded, giving him a tired but honest smile.

As they walked, Elsa asked him to fill in the silence, so he talked about Aster and Hiccup and Astrid and Tooth and their various high school escapades. Neither of them noticed, but little by little, their hands gradually gravitated towards each other. Jack slightly flinched when he felt the slightly cold touch of her hand. His whole body started to tingle, and it was as if butterflies tore through his stomach and flew through his entire body, when he felt Elsa‘s fingers curl up around his and squeeze.  
Jack looked at Elsa and beamed, and she beamed back, content.

Of course, it all went to shit fairly quickly. Jack immediately took notice of the of the man walking opposite them, how could he not? He looked as though his entire being was covered in darkness, save for his face, which looked ashen, almost grey. Even from a distance, Jack could see the malice behind his eyes. Elsa seemed to take notice of this, too, and she moves imperceptibly closer to him.

Once the man was but a few feet away from them, Jack heard him hiss, „What a pretty little slut you got there.“

Jack tensed up, his body going rigid as a rock. He felt Elsa squeeze his arm to an almost bone crushing point, and he squeezed back. The man seemed to notice their reaction and smirked to himself, „How about I give you something to swallow, bitch?“

Two things happened after that.

Jack stopped and, despite Elsa’s grip, managed to break himself out of her hold.

Jack, also, punched the man in the nose.

The man groaned and fell, clutching his nose in pain. Immediately, Jack reached for Elsa’s hand, who gripped his even tighter than before, and they briskly walked away from the scene, leaving the man to fend for himself.

Elsa didn’t let go of his hand until they stopped before her apartment building, and he didn’t mind one bit. He was still incredibly angry at the man, but mostly, he was concerned about Elsa. Once he finally managed to calm down, he immediately noticed that something was wrong.

Elsa was breathing heavily, her eyes unfocused. She was holding his hand so hard her knuckles went white.

„Elsa, what’s wrong?“ Jack asked rapidly, his fear and concern growing by the second. Elsa didn’t respond, merely, she leaned on the wall of the building and slowly slid down on the ground. Jack followed her without hesitation.

Her breaths, where before they were heavy and somewhat regular, were now becoming fast and shallow. The unfocused look in her eyes was replaced by panic, and Jack was hit by a realization that she was about to go into a full blown panic attack.

„Elsa, Elsa, look at me,“ he said, gently touching her cheek and forcing her to look at him. Her eyes followed his movement and settled on Jack’s, his gaze worried, but calm at the same time. „I want you to breathe with me, okay? I want you to breathe with me,“ he said, and with his free hand, the one not getting its circulation cut, he took hers and placed it on his chest. He took a deep breath, the inhale exaggerating, and exhaled in the same way.

„Breathe with me, Elsa,“ he said gently, „focus on my voice. On the rise and fall of my chest. Do you think you can do that?“

She nodded again and followed his lead, her breaths slowly but surely evening out. After a couple of minutes of both of them just breathing deeply, Elsa let go of his hand, closed her eyes, and buried her head in Jack’s chest, and he managed not to flinch at the contact between her and the scar tissue. His arms immediately wrapped around her in a warm embrace, not suffocating, merely protective.

„Are you okay?“ he asked, the worry in his voice quite clear.

Elsa took a deep breath, calm but shaken. „I will be.“

„Do you want to go home?“

She shook her head slightly and mumbled, „Can we stay like this for a few moments longer, please?“

Her voice was small, and his heart broke in two at the sound. He tightened his arms around her, the position making his legs numb, but he didn’t really care much.  
Indeed, a few moments later, he heard her take a deep of breath before she gently untangled herself from him, her hand still in his.

„Can I walk you to your door? Is Anna home?“ he asked.

„Yes, and yes,“ she whispered. She sounded tired – she was tired before, and the near panic attack must have exhausted her further.

„I’m-I’m not usually like this,“ she stammered. Jack immediately stopped and looked at her. She looked small. Small and scared, the exact opposite of how he saw her. He sighed and put an arm around her shoulders, and she melted into him almost immediately, no flinch, no hesitation, just trust and comfort.

„It’s okay,“ he whispered into her hair, „I get them, too, sometimes. They’re nothing to be ashamed of, okay?“

He felt Elsa nod into his neck, and hoped that for now, it would be enough of a reassurance. He didn’t expect it, not really, but panic attacks were something he was familiar with. Very, very familiar with.

Once they reached her door, Elsa chose to knock instead of trying to find the keys in her purse, and Jack smiled a little to himself. The door were opened a few seconds later by a disheveled Anna, who looked slightly offended at being woken up at this ungodly hour of 11 PM. Her annoyed look quickly turned into one of confusion, then shock, then understanding, especially after seeing the look on Elsa’s face.

„Come here,“ she whispered, and Elsa threw herself at her, needing the familiar comfort of her sister’s hug. Anna shot a questioning look at Jack, a look that screamed _DETAILS_ , and he mouthed _later_ at her. She nodded and guided Elsa inside, before turning around and coming back to the door.

„Okay, give me the summarization. What happened?“

Jack took a deep breath and in short, explained to Anna what happened, not omitting anything. „You probably broke his nose, Jack. Is your hand okay?“

Jack looked at his hand, slightly red and hurting a little, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle. „I’m fine, don’t worry about me. Is she gonna be okay?“

Anna smiled gently. „Yeah, she’s a tough nut to crack. She’ll be fine, don’t worry. Thank you, Jack.“

„It was no problem,“ he mumbled. Anna studied him for a second, and then gave him a hard look.

„You don’t blame yourself for this, do you?“

Jack didn’t answer. „It wasn’t your fault, you know that?“

Jack didn’t answer again, only smiled sheepishly. Anna sighed. „She’ll tell you the same thing, you know.“

„Tell him what?“ asked a voice, and both Jack and Anna turned to look at Elsa, her face clean of make-up, clad in pajama pants and a baggy t-shirt. She looked breathtaking, but most importantly, she looked okay.

„Nothing we can’t talk about later. How are you feeling?“

Noticing the moment between the two, Anna quietly disappeared inside the apartment, squeezing Elsa’s arm along the way.

Elsa smiled at him, and to his relief, it was genuine. „I’m okay, Jack. Thank you for calming me down. You seem to have some experience with it.“

„I do. I’m sorry about the date, probably won’t go into your top five,“ Jack apologized, and Elsa gave him a look nearly identical to that of her sister.

„Never went on five dates, actually. And for the record,“ she said, stepping closer to him, her hand reaching towards his jaw. Jack leaned down, allowing her to step on her toes and give him a lingering kiss on his cheek.

„I’m definitely up for another one,“ she whispered. Jack put his arm around her and hugged her for a few seconds before releasing her.

„I am, too. Goodnight, Elsa.“

„Goodnight, Jack.“

He didn’t get his jacket back that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Please, leave a comment down below and tell me your thoughts!


	4. Chapter 4

Elsa's eyes slowly drifted open, her mind full of cotton. She groaned and pulled herself up rather involuntarily, for once she woke up, she would not be able to fall asleep again. She yawned and stretched like a cat, her eyes catching the sight of her phone. The events of her last night's date with Jack played through her mind, and despite the way it had ended, she couldn't help the small smile that rose from her lips. He calmed her down, no panic, no hesitation, just support. She appreciated that more than he knew.

Checking the time, she nearly gasped when she read that it was nearly 11 AM, a much later wake up time than her usual 8:30. She also had five messages from Jack, dated from an hour ago.

_jackdad_overland: im so sorry about las tnight_

_jackdad_overland: i mean i kno you said it was okay, but i still feel shitty about it_

_jackdad_overland: are you okay?_

_jackdad_overland: can i make it up to you?_

_jackdad_overland: please?_

Elsa frowned slightly and quickly typed out a response.

_elsa_arendelle: Jack, it wasn't your fault. I'm okay, I promise._

_elsa_arendelle: Of course, that depends on what you had in mind. ;)_

Jack's reply was near instantaneous.

_jackdad_overland: pinky promise?_

Elsa giggled, both amused and endeared at his antics.

_elsa_arendelle: Pinky promise._

_elsa_arendelle: So, what did you have in mind?_

_jackdad_overland: oh, right_

_jackdad_overland: so, u kno my friends, right? hiccup, aster, tooth, so on so forth ye?_

_elsa_arendelle: Yes?_

_jackdad_overland: we're planning on doing a karaoke night tonight at iggy's, not sure if u kno it_

_jackdad_overland: anyway, i thought maybe you'd like to join? u could bring anna and christof_

_jackdad_overland: could be a semi-second date, no pressure tho_

_jackdad_overland: id like u to meet my friends_

Elsa's heart swelled, and despite the slight twinge of nervousness at the prospect of meeting so many new people, she actually smiled – big, wide, and toothy.

_elsa_arendelle: I will ask Anna, but yes, Jack, I'd love to meet your friends._

Feeling slightly cheeky, Elsa sent him another message before she could change her mind.

_elsa_arendelle: And I'd never pass up on a chance to be with you._

_jackdad_overland: ... <3_

_jackdad_overland: okay, i'll text you the details and pick u up_

_jackdad_overland: i hope ur ready to feel some wind on ur face_

_elsa_arendelle: I can't wait._

After pocketing her phone and taking a quick shower, Elsa, out of habit, padded silently across the apartment, trying not to wake Anna. Elsa also forgot that she overslept and that her sister had been awake for hours. The sound of Anna clearing her throat made Elsa jump in surprise, and after quickly turning around, her sister's shit-eating grin made her roll her eyes.

„What are you, twelve?" grumbled Elsa while Anna only laughed in response.

Elsa sat down with a bowl of oatmeal, barely registering her sister sliding into a seat next to her. They made small talk, just enjoying one another's company.

„Elsa," Anna's face turned serious, „are you okay?"

Elsa gave her a reassuring smile and squeezed her sister's hand. „Yes, I am. I pinky promise."

„Pinky promise, huh?" she smirked.

Elsa blushed slightly. „I had to make one to Jack, therefore I'm making one to you, too. Yes, I am okay. Oh, and by the way," she added hastily, changing the subject, „do you have any plans for tonight?"

„No, why?"

„Jack and his friends are doing a karaoke night at some local bar, and he'd asked me to come. He said I could bring you, too, and I think it's only fair – I get to meet his friends, he should also get to know the most important people in my life," she explained. „Also, I want you there."

Anna agreed immediately and enthusiastically, the little ball of excitement she was. They talked a little more, Elsa sharing her anxiety about meeting his friends, something Anna was able to squash down nearly immediately. „They'll love you, sis, I'm sure of it!"

Elsa smiled. She hoped so, too.

Jack and Elsa texted throughout the day, both of them attending to their own tasks while replying to the other. They were currently discussing whether or not coconut counted as a mammal – Jack argued for, Elsa against. He smiled a little, thoughts of her spreading warmth through his entire body. Jack was in the middle of cooking spaghetti bolognese when he heard a knock at his door. Frowning to himself in confusion, he set the gas lower and went to open the door, all the while questioning who could it be. He didn't expect any visits, and he knew that even for a Saturday, most of his friends were either busy or sleeping in, the latter of which he envied them for. Opening the door, his face broke into the largest grin possible once he registered the person behind it.

„Mary!" he barely had the time to exclaim before his sister threw herself at him, burying her face in his shoulder. His arms wrapped around her on instinct, happy to see his baby sister again. „What are you doing here? Where's North? Is everything okay?"

It was only then that Mary separated herself from him and gave him a large grin. „What? Can't I visit you without something terrible happening? Come on, Frost, I missed you! Also, is that spaghetti I smell cooking?"

Jack rolled his eyes at the nickname – while it made him uncomfortable the first few times she called him that, nearly a year ago, now.. it still made him slightly uncomfortable, but he didn't want to tell her that. He knew she liked the nickname, and it was her way of coping with what had happened. He answered her question.

„Yeah, it's spaghetti, and you're lucky I'm a growing boy," he teased, „I made enough for myself and an unexpected visitor. How did you get here, anyway?"

„You're 21," she fired back, „no growing for you, anymore. I am a growing girl, though, meaning I'll gladly take a larger portion... unless you forgot how to cook since living alone, because if you did, I will gladly eat a piece of cardboard instead. Also, I took the bus," she said, answering his question.

„I'm a terrific cook and you know it. It's North who can't cook for shit," he defended. Mary rolled her eyes.

„If that makes you sleep better at night, then sure," she said, and Jack decided not to comment.

Jack focused on the cooking, absentmindedly asking Mary about school ( _Seriously, Frost, we haven't seen each other for two weeks and that's what you ask me? Who cares about school?_ ), her friends ( _Jamie faceplanted on the floor last week and broke his tooth, it was hilarious. And apparently, Pippa's parents are getting a divorce._ ), and, of course, North.

„He's doing alright," Mary said, „pretty just he just signed a new contract or something. Not sure, don't care about that stuff. You know he wants you to take over, right?"she gave him a pointed look. Jack averted her gaze.

„You know I don't care about it, either," he mumbled, putting a generous portion of spaghetti onto her plate.

„Right, I forgot, Mr. I-Want-To-Teach," she said, her tone affectionate. Jack smiled.

„Yep. Anyway, how about a change of subject? Any boys I should know about?" he smirked, „Any girls, mayhaps?"

Mary gasped and sputtered indignantly, her face flushed. „No, not really," she choked out, and Jack knew she was lying. He wasn't going to push her, though, a mercy he was sure she wouldn't reciprocate. The little minx.

„Any girls _I_ should know about, baby brother?"

„I'm seven years older than you."

„Irrelevant. You're avoiding the question." Yup, he was right, she wasn't about to grant him the same mercy. Jack sighed.

„Yes, there is a girl," he admitted. She grinned through a mouthful of spaghetti, her wide smile and the sauce made her teeth look red.

„Tell me more, tell me more," she sang, and Jack cringed. While he loved his sister dearly, she didn't really possess an aptitude for singing, and the Grease song did not help it, either. Deciding to humor her, however, he answered all of her questions.

„What's her name?"

„Elsa."

„How old is she?"

„Twenty-two."

„Is she pretty?"

„Extremely."

„Is she prettier than me?"

„No comment."

„She is! And I thought I was the most important girl in your life," she mock-pouted, and Jack grinned.

„You will always be the most important girl in my life."

„Good. You asked her out yet?"

„We went on a date yesterday."

„How'd it go?"

„Fucking spectacular."

She grinned. And so it continued, Mary asking him questions about Elsa, him answering most of them. ( _„You banged yet?" „Mary, what the FUCK?"_ )

„We're actually going on a.. some sort of date tonight. I'm introducing her to the boys," he said eventually, „and Tooth and Astrid, obviously. They're my boys, too."

Mary rolled her eyes. „Teenagers," she muttered, and Jack snorted, pointing out he wasn't a teenager anymore. She shrugged.

„You like her a lot, don't you?" she asked quietly.

„What do you mean?"

„You're introducing her to your friends, Jack. You've never done that before. With any girl."

Jack thought about it and smiled. He did like her a lot. „Yeah, I do. And hopefully soon, you'll get to meet her, too."

Mary smiled at him, and Jack slowly returned it, only seconds before he felt a piece of meat his his forehead.

„Oh, you're on."

Jack was waiting for Elsa outside her apartment building, leaning on his bike and scrolling through his phone.

_jackdad_overland: waiting 4 u_

_elsa_arendelle: 5 minutes._

„That was eight minutes," he greeted her once she came out, and she rolled her eyes before giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. „Hi," Jack said.

„Hi," Elsa smiled, and only then did he notice that she was wearing his denim jacket he gave her yesterday. He blushed slightly. She looked good. Really, really good.

Jack liked seeing her in his clothes.

„Okay, have you ever ridden on a bike before?" he asked. She shook her head, and he smiled. „Alright, you'll hold onto me tightly, I'll go slow. That okay?"

Elsa nodded. After mounting his bike, she put her arms around her waist and leaned her head on his shoulder.

„Where's Anna and Kristoff?" he asked.

„She said they'll meet us there."

Jack nodded in understanding. The bike rumbled to life, and Elsa laughed, delighted. Jack's insides turned to putty. True to his promise, Jack rode slowly, mindful of girl clinging to him for dear life. Unbeknownst to him, Elsa wasn't terrified at all, just cautious, among other things.

Once Kristoff and Anna joined them, Kristoff apparently being familiar the establishment, introductions were made. Apparently, Aster had been able to reserve a booth just large enough to fit the group of eight. Jack and Elsa, of course, sat next to each other, their legs and shoulders touching. Elsa gently leaned into him, and Jack and, surprisingly Anna, beamed.

Elsa realized that she truly had nothing to worry about. Their groups merged very well, and while they had no problem teasing the shit out of Jack, they welcomed Elsa, Anna and Kristoff with open arms, in most cases figuratively, and in Tooth's case, not so much.

Anna and Toothiana hit it off pretty much immediately, to the absolute surprise of no one. What surprised her, however, was Kristoff laughing and talking to Aster. Elsa felt warmth blossom in her chest when she felt Jack put his arm around her shoulder. Seeing the most important people in her life, especially Anna, hit it off with Jack, who was slowly but surely becoming a rather permanent fixture in her life, made her head spin.

She felt Jack squeeze her shoulder slightly. He leaned into her ear and asked, „You alright?"

Elsa looked at him and smiled, briefly touching his cheek. „Very much so. Thank you for letting me meet your friends."

„Of course," he said, booping her on the nose, making her blink owlishly at him in response. He grinned, and she shook her head at him, a small smile on her lips. Jack turned his attention away from her, as did she from him, and focused on the rest of the group.

Hiccup was lost in his own world with Astrid, whose face was the definition of whipped. She could snap one's arm without breaking a sweat, and yet here she was, giving her boyfriend heart eyes worthy of Anna. To be fair, Hiccup wasn't fairing any better.

„You better not jump him, Hofferson," Jack teased, and Elsa swatted his shoulder, giggling under her breath.

„Fuck off, Overland, you're the one to talk," she fired back, and both Jack and Elsa turned bright red. Everyone around them laughed, and Anna even nodded in agreement. Elsa muttered betrayal under her breath, which set Jack off, which, like a domino, set off the rest of the table once again. Eventually, Elsa couldn't help but start laughing, too.

They conversed easily, sometimes speaking over each other, which Elsa thought only made the experience more charming. It was obvious that all of them knew each other well, and while Elsa considered herself to be the quiet type, she found herself speaking at times, too, either offering her opinion or answering a question. Anna, meanwhile, was apparently in a deep discussion with Aster, Tooth and Kristoff. Elsa vaguely heard something about baking and decided to tune the rest out. Hiccup, Astrid and Jack were in the middle of what seemed to be a teasing match, and Elsa's heart swelled a little, seeing the boy comfortable, happy and relaxed.

She knew he had issues – the ever-present deep circles under his eyes, the loss of his parents she could only half relate to, the way he changed the subject abruptly whenever she asked him something he was uncomfortable with, letting her gently know she'd crossed the line. And yet, here he was, smiling as if he were the happiest person in the world, carefree and untamed.

She smiled to herself, not noticing the conversation quieting around her.

„Uh, Elsa?" asked Astrid.

Elsa shook her head and looked at the other blonde. „Yes?"

Astrid smirked. „Let's not talk about the staring," she teased, and Elsa blushed. Jack smirked slightly, his arm migrating from her shoulder down her arm, taking her hand in his and squeezing slightly. She squeezed back.

„What would you like to talk about, then?" Elsa asked, her voice confident. Astrid looked at Anna. Elsa looked at her sister, who smiled devilishly.

Elsa gulped.

„It is a karaoke night, right?" she asked, a dangerous glint in her eye. Elsa's eyes widened.

„Anna, no."

„Anna, yes. How about the two lovebirds sing us a duet?" she suggested. The whole table erupted in wolf whistles, courtesy of Aster, and cheers, courtesy of the rest of them, save for Elsa and Jack.

Elsa's throat closed up slightly, but she forced herself to speak. „I really don't want to."

„Sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing," the group started to chant, and Jack looked up at her, question in his eyes. She shook her head – singing in front of her sister or a couple of people? Fine. Singing in front of a whole bar? No, thank you.

„How about we make a deal?" Jack raised his voice slightly, silencing the rest of them. „I go out there and sing, y'all choose the song. She stays here."

The rest of the group groaned, but seeing the expression on Jack's face and Elsa's uncomfortable body language, they acquiesced. „Fine," Hiccup said, „but I'm choosing the song."

Jack rolled his eyes, but nodded. Elsa shot a look at Anna, who only shrugged sheepishly and mouthed a sorry at her. Elsa smiled in return, letting her know there were no hard feelings. Her eyes returned to Jack, who was now standing and walking towards the stage, Hiccup in tow.

„My friends forced me to do this," he said, and most of the patrons laughed, not including their group. They cheered instead.

Jack sighed and ran a hand through his hair, feeling slightly nervous, but also smiling. Elsa thought he definitely had a stage presence. She felt Anna lean into her personal space and whisper, „I'm sorry, I didn't know it'd make you uncomfortable."

Elsa smiled and patted her head teasingly, „It's alright. No harm done."

Hiccup returned a few seconds later with a sly grin on his face, having decided on the song.

Once the music started, everyone's eyes turned to Jack. Jack seemed to recognize the song and groaned, his head falling backwards. He shook his head and grinned.

„Bastard," he whispered. Jack looked at the TV where the lyrics were highlighted, and after clearing his throat, started to sing.

_Took you like a shot  
Thought that I could chase you with a cold evening  
Let a couple of years water down how I'm feeling about you_

His baritone was deep and rich, nearly as smooth as Aster's pick up lines. Elsa's eyes widened and her face broke into a glorious wide smile.

He was good. He was really, _really_ good.

And every time we talk  
Every single word builds up to this moment  
And I gotta convince myself I don't want it  
Even though I do.. even though I do

Jack took a deep breath and looked at her, his gaze steady and confident, and she felt her breath hitch.

You could break my heart in two  
But when it heals, it beats for you  
I know it's forward, but it's true

The song continued, but Elsa couldn't focus on the words. She only focused on his voice, letting it envelop her. Jack was still looking at her, his eyes not wavering in the least, and neither were hers. He was smiling the whole time, and she knew her expression mirrored his.

Was this what it felt like? To be falling in love?

She hoped so. God, she hoped so.

Once Jack finished, the entire bar erupted into applause, and Elsa couldn't help but notice the adorable flush on his cheeks. He mock-bowed and promptly returned to the booth.

„That was terrifying," he admitted, making the whole group laugh. Elsa leaned into him and kissed his cheek.

„You were amazing."

A few hours later, they found themselves walking down the street, Jack and Elsa holding hands. Anna and Kristoff had their arms interlocked together, looking fairly royal, if Jack said so himself. Hiccup and Astrid, on the other hand, were gently bumping into each other's shoulders, tlaking to themselves, while Tooth and Aster were talking just talking shit.

„I can't believe you seriously think that Padmé and Anakin weren't meant to be! Pull yourself together, woman, Jesus fuck!" Aster's mostly-gone-Australian accent came out whenever he talked passionately.

„Their relationship was unhealthy, even the actors themselves admitted it!" Tooth argued, huffing in indignation.

„Would the two of you just shut the fuck up for a moment?" yelled Hiccup, surprising them all. Hiccup really wasn't the type to raise his voice in aggression.

„What's up, Haddock?" asked Kristoff. Hiccup didn't answer, only separated himself from the group and cautiously walked towards a dumpster. Astrid, apparently, could see where this was going, as she started to swear under her breath.

„Not another one," she grumbled. The newest members of the group all looked at each other in confusion, while the rest of them just smirked at Astrid.

„Oh, yes, another one!" exclaimed Hiccup a few minutes later. Elsa noticed his arms were crossed over his chest. No, not crossed – they were holding something. What were they holding?

The answer became apparent as they all heard a tiny meow from his chest. „Look, it's adorable! It's a kitten! Can't be more than a few weeks old!"

„How did you even notice it? It's completely black," asked Anna. Jack laughed.

„Hiccup's like a chick magnet, but for animals. It's like he has a sixth sense in that regard," explained Tooth, while Jack, Astrid and Aster nodded in agreement. Elsa was puzzled, but shrugged, deciding to go with it.

„Oh my God, it's so cute!" squealed Anna, immediately untangling herself from Kristoff and bouncing over to Hiccup in her overexcited glory. „What are you going to name it?"

„I don't know. Shadow? Pitch? Ebony?" he rattled off, each name worse than the last.

„It has no teeth," said Toothiana, and both Jack and Elsa smiled at the irony.

„Toothless?" suggested Hiccup, and they all nodded.

„Hold on, you aren't actually going to keep it, are you?" Astrid said. Hiccup looked at her with puppy dog eyes (or, perhaps, kitten cat eyes). Toothless, apparently, decided to copy him, peering at her from under Hiccup's jacket. Astrid sighed.

„Only if we don't find the owner. He could be just lost," she gave in. Hiccup whooped and threw himself at her, planting kisses all over her face.

„You guys," Jack said, „you have a child now. You are parents. Be mindful of the PDA."

„Oh, right, Mr. Kiss-Elsa's-Cheek-Half-The-Goddamn-Time-And-Only-Half-Because-She-Does-It-To-You-The-Other-Half," responded Hiccup, and Elsa sputtered slightly before giving up and laughing along with Jack.

„So, you two.. you an item yet?" asked Kristoff. Anna slapped his chest.

Jack looked at Elsa. Elsa looked at Jack. They squeezed each other's hands. „We're taking things slow," said Elsa, and Jack nodded.

„I want burgers," complained Aster.

„You're so fucking lucky it's Saturday."

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, which for Jack and Elsa meant returning to their academic duties. Jack had been busy reading, dissecting, and eventually, writing an essay for his Literature class about Gawain and the Green Knight. While he found European history appealing, and loved the Arthurian myths, he really wasn't interested in reading 160 pages of complicated poetry. He hated poetry. He'd rather read My Immortal again. That was a dare he didn't want to repeat ever again, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

He hadn't seen Elsa all week, not only because of his packed schedule, but also because hers had been even more so. Engineering and business was a combination he wouldn't dare to try. The only thing he'd been looking forward to, not counting the mid-week lunch with his sister, was the fact that Elsa invited him to her and Anna's apartment for a movie marathon, with Kristoff joining in as well, on Friday.

 _„Think of it as a double date, only more comfortable,"_ she'd said, and hearing the hopeful tone in her voice, he agreed, feeling quite excited himself, on one condition – he'd get some groceries and cook dinner.

God, they weren't even officially together – well, they were, sort of, but neither of them said it, yet – and he was already whipped. Worth it, though.

The rest of the week passed quite quickly, if Elsa said so herself. It felt like she barely took a break and bam, it was Friday already.

„Anna, what are you doing?" she asked, seeing Anna carry an enormous bucket of water.

„Waiting for Kristoff so that he can put it on the bathroom door," Anna explained, huffing as she put the bucket down.

„Explain. Now."

„We're gonna prank Jack a little. Give him the old ice bucket challenge, as the youngins say these days," she explained.

Elsa pinched the bridge of her nose. „Darling sister, you know that the ice bucket challenge ended over two years ago, correct? And that you are a youngin yourself."

„I'm nineteen, Els! I can hear my bones crack every time I take a step!" she exclaimed dramatically.

Elsa rolled her eyes. „Drink more milk. Now, why are you pranking him? Why not prank Kristoff.. you know, your boyfriend?"

„Because Kristoff already knows me and would be expecting the prank if I'd ask him to get something from the bathroom real quick! But Jack wouldn't! Come on, sis, please. Let's have some fun. And you'll get to see him shirtless! Come on, you know he's got a wonderful sense of humor, he won't be offended! Pleaaaaase," she begged, and Elsa finally relented.

„Fine," her mouth quirked upwards. „It will be fun, at least. I'll just text him quickly to bring a change of clothes should he stay the night."

Anna smirked. Elsa rolled her eyes. „We haven't even kissed yet."

„Sometimes you gotta run before you learn how to walk," she quoted, and Elsa rolled her eyes.

„Alright, Mrs. Stark."

Jack had been on his way to leave the apartment when Elsa texted him to bring a change of clothes. Confused, he shrugged and texted the affirmative, not thinking about it in the slightest.

_jackdad_overland: aight, cya in half an hour <3 _

He made a quick stop at a grocery store near his apartment, buying all the necessary ingredients for..semi-homemade pasta. He was a good cook, but he couldn't make pasta from scratch for shit. That used to be his mother's job, and unfortunately, she had never gotten around to teaching him that.

„Wow, negative much, Overland?" he muttered to himself, mounting his bike with a bag of groceries and an overnight bag. He should really reconsider getting a car one of these days, seriously.

That's a thought for another day. Right now, all I need to do is not fucking crash.

Fifteen minutes later, he found himself in front of Elsa's (and Anna's) apartment door. Considering both his hands were full, he decided to knock with his head. The door opened a few seconds later, with a beaming Elsa being a sight for sore eyes. She leaned into him and kissed his cheek, „Hi."

„Hey. Got the groceries and the change of clothes. Why do I need them, again?" he asked, and Elsa just winked.

„You'll see. You can put the groceries in the kitchen, I shall take your bag into my room for now."

„For now?" he asked. Elsa turned around and smiled.

„For now."

Putting the groceries in the kitchen, he found himself in the room with Kristoff, who was scrolling through his social media, probably. „Hey, Kris," greeted Jack, putting the groceries down. This was the first time in the apartment – well, the second time, if one considered last Friday a visit – and while he didn't know where everything was, finding the kitchen wasn't that hard.

„Hey, Jack," grinned Kristoff. „Heard you were making dinner tonight?"

„Oh, yeah. I was thinking of making it with Elsa... you know, something a little domestic." He put his phone on the counter, along with his wallet and keys.

„Yeah, I gotcha. Anna and I will set up the movies, tonight's a horror night," Kristoff explained, clapping his hands together in excitement. Jack really disliked horrors, but at least it'd give him an excuse to cuddle the pretty blonde.

„Speaking of Anna," Jack inquired, „where is she? Haven't seen her yet."

„In the bathroom, I think," he said, grinning mischievously. Something seemed off to Jack, but deciding not to dwell on it, he shrugged it off.

„Alright. Now, come here, lazy ass, help me unpack this." Kristoff grinned and slauntered over, taking the bag.

Jack felt a pair of small arms wrap around his middle and sighed, feeling Elsa lean into his back.

„Hard day?" he asked quietly.

„Hard week," she corrected, and he huffed out a laugh. He took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing her knuckles. Elsa sighed.

„Hey, Jack! Could you help me with something, please?" yelled Anna, presumably from the bathroom. Elsa immediately separated herself from him, and he mourned the loss of contact for a few seconds. Elsa bit her lip, knowing what was coming.

„Yeah, coming!" he yelled back. He walked over to the bathroom door, which was slightly ajar. Thinking nothing of it, he opened it, and realized his mistake a second too late.

_No, no, no, no, no, no, no._

It was too late. The bucket already spilling, and to Jack, the world stopped. Nearly immediately, he felt the ice cold water drench him. Jack went rigid, his knuckles turning white, eyes widening.

Cold. So cold. Suffocating. Pressure. Thousands upon thousands of needles sticking into his skin.

„—ACK! JACK! ELSA, COME HERE!"

Hurt. It hurt.

He couldn't breathe. _He couldn't breathe._

He was back there, in the water. He couldn't get out. _Get out, get out, getoutgetougeout!_

His vision was going dark. His chest burned, as if someone set it on fire. Why was he cold when his chest was on fire?

Someone touched him. He flinched, instinctively, closing in on himself. Backing away into a corner. Something hit his back. It was cold. Hard. Solid.

Cold.

He was breathing way too fast.

Someone touched him again, and this time, he didn't flinch. It was warm. Hand. A small hand.

„Jack, breathe, please," the voice pleaded, desperate, worried. Scared.

His vision started to clear slightly. White. No, not white. Blonde.

Elsa?

„I-I c-can't," he choked out, tears gathering in his eyes. He felt them on his cheeks. He felt everything.

„Come on, sweetheart, breathe with me," she said, „Anna, go get him his clothes, his back's in my room." She didn't break eye contact with him, but he couldn't see that.

She took his hand and placed it on her chest. „Breathe with me, Jack, come on, just like you helped me. Deep breath in, deep breath out, do you think you can do that?"

Could he? He could. For her.

Jack nodded.

„Good. Come on," she took a deep, exaggerated breath, and he tried to follow suit. He choked, instead. „That's it, that's okay, come on," she said, one hand covering his on her chest, the other on his cheek, gently caressing it.

She took another deep breath, and he followed suit. It was easier, this time. She exhaled, and so did he.

„That's it, you're doing great, Jack," she whispered, her voice soft. Calming.

And then, she started to sing.

_When the north wind meets the sea  
There's a river full of memory  
Sleep, my darling, safe and sound  
For in this river, all is found_

She sang quietly, gently, her voice slightly thick with emotion, though Jack did not notice it. He was too busy having a goddamn panic attack.

_In her waters, deep and true_  
Lay the answers and a path for you  
Dive down deep into her sound  
But not too far or you'll be— 

She stopped herself there, and didn't continue. Jack's breaths slowly evened out, and he sagged against the wall, his clothes sticking to him. Finally, his vision cleared completely, and the sight of her nearly broke his heart.

„I'm so sorry," Elsa whispered quietly, looking at him with tears in her eyes, her hand still on his cheek.

„You have nothing to apologize for," Jack whispered, his voice raspy, „and neither does Anna. It was a prank gone wrong. You didn't know. No one knew."

It was then that Anna barged into the room, obviously listening in to their conversation and deciding that it was time to interrupt. „Here's your clothes, Jack. I'm so sorry, I had no idea that would happen!"

Jack smiled, the smile genuine, if a little strained. „It's okay, shit happens."

Kristoff then came in as well, and helped him stand up. „You okay, man?"

Jack nodded, and Kristoff patted him on the shoulder, then left once more, feeling slightly awkward in the small, and rather crowded bathroom.

„Anna, could you leave us alone for a moment?" Elsa asked. Anna looked at her and nodded, giving the two a little space. „Let's get those wet things off you, shall we?"

Jack nodded, and started to pull the wet t-shirt off himself. He realized a too late that once his t-shirt was off, she'd be able to see his chest. There was no chance she'd miss it, if the gasp she let out was any indication.

„Jack, oh my God," she whispered, and Jack flinched. A full body flinch, impossible to miss as well. He shut his eyes tightly.

„Not now... please," he begged, and Elsa nodded in understanding, trying to keep her tears at bay. He wanted nothing more than to gather her in his arms and don't let go for the rest of their lives, but he was still wet. Once he was in his boxers, which, miraculously, remained dry, he did not fail to notice Elsa checking him out.

Well, at least one good thing came out of all this, he thought, smirking at her slightly. He knew he was far from ugly, but seeing her biting her lip and looking at him made him shiver. Elsa mistook it for a shiver of cold and immediately handed him a towel.

Once he was fully dressed, he took her hand in his, silently letting her know that they were okay.

„Thank you," he whispered.

„For what?"

Jack smirked. „Calming me down."

Elsa smiled at him, and together, they left the bathroom, coming face-to-face with Anna and Kristoff, both of them looking guilty.

„No hard feelings, guys," he said. „Seriously. It's okay. It's happened before."

After reassuring them for another twenty minutes, they finally seemed to get that he did not, under any circumstances, blame them. Really, how could he? It wasn't their fault, they didn't know.

Maybe it's time she knew, though. „Can I talk to you for a second? Alone?"

Elsa looked at him, and seeing the serious expression on his face, nodded. „Can you guys take out the cutlery? We'll be just a moment."

She took him by the hand and led him to her bedroom, closing the door behind her. Jack sat down on the floor, his back leaning against her bed, and after a few seconds, Elsa did as well. He was obviously trying to think of what to say, and Elsa patiently waited, letting him take his time.

„When Mary was a kid," he started eventually, „we had this tradition."

Elsa listened attentively as he continued. „Each winter, I'd take her out on the lake near Hawthorne, once it froze over. We'd ice skate for hours, have some snowball fights. You know, fun."

Elsa nodded in understanding.

„A year ago.. a year and a half, now, the winter wasn't as cold as the ones before. But we decided to go ice skating, because why not? It was a tradition, something to remind ourselves of Hawthorne and our parents, as weird as it sounds."

„It doesn't sound weird," she whispered, and leaned into him. Jack relaxed slightly, and only then did she realize how stiff he had been the entire time. He took her hand in his and started playing with her fingers, avoiding eye contact.

„We were skating, having fun, when we both heard this crack," he whispered. „I looked down and saw the ice cracking beneath Mary's feet. Beneath mine, too."

Elsa's breath hitched, afraid, knowing where this way going. „Hers was cracking faster, probably a thinner layer," he chuckled slightly, „I don't know. I didn't think. I just started running, I tackled her. Threw her out. Nearly broke her rib, actually."

Jack exhaled a shaky breath. „I replaced her on the ice," he said, still playing with her fingers. Then, he finally looked at her. „It broke beneath me."

Elsa shut her eyes tight and cuddled closer to him, nearly falling into his lap. He gripped her tightly.

„I don't remember much, honestly. Mostly in my dreams. I know I went under. I know I nearly drowned, and I know that I fought the ice, trying to break free. And I did, somehow."

He laughed slightly, this time more lighthearted. „I don't know how, really. I know I was under for a long time. Three minutes? Four? It seemed like hours, and yet I can barely remember a thing."

He felt tears running down his cheeks, and a gentle hand catching them. He buried his face in her neck and breathed her in, the faint smell of vanilla engulfing his senses. „When I went under, I got caught on a sharp edge of the ice," he whispered, just loud enough for her to hear him. „Got a fancy scar on it."

„Show me," she whispered. She caught a glimpse of it before, but she wanted to see it fully. He untangled himself from her and looked at her, trying to find something in her eyes. He seemed to have found it, and slowly took off his t-shirt. Elsa gasped slightly, and Jack seemed to shrink in on himself.

„No, Jack, no," she said. He looked at her, completely vulnerable, and Elsa felt her heart shatter into pieces. „It must've hurt.. so much. I'm so sorry you had to go through that," she said, taking a proper look at the scar for the first time.

A thick, jagged mess of a line ran diagonally across the planes of his chest, the raised tissue a stark contrast against the smooth skin around it.

Elsa reached her hand towards it, but stopped only a few inches short. „May I?"

Jack looked at her and nodded, giving her permission. With a shaky hand, she gently touched the marred skin, feeling the furious thumping of his heart. He was nervous.

She ran her hand over the entirety of the scar, her touch as gentle as an autumn breeze.

„It's beautiful, in its own way," she whispered, looking at him. Normally, she would've giggled at his flabbergasted expression, but now was not the time. „Just like you."

And with a final glance at his lips, she leaned forward, Jack meeting her halfway, letting their lips meet for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was a bitch to write. 4 hours. 4 goddamn hours.  
> ANYWAY!
> 
> Got ourselves a panic attack, some exposition, some singing, our first kiss, and, ofc, out longest chapter yet.
> 
> The song is Our Last Night - Back To You, a lyric of which was an inspiration for the title of the story.  
> The second song is All Is Found from Frozen 2.


	5. Chapter 5

Her lips were soft – softer than he'd imagined. And he'd imagined the taste and softness of her lips more than once. The kiss was slow, gentle. Sweet. Jack could feel Elsa smile into it, and naturally, his lips curved upwards as well. The kiss lasted but a few seconds, and once they separated, Jack missed the contact immediately, and Elsa seemed reluctant, too. Elsa adjusted and leaned against his side, putting her head on his shoulder, her hand on his thigh. Of course, Jack had to ruin the moment.

„This means we're official, right?"

Jack more felt than heard Elsa giggle and smiled. „Yes, we are official," Elsa said, and the brightness of his large smile made her feel warm all over. She then purred, „You are mine."

Jack felt the heat on cheeks, and Elsa smirked. Jack felt the heat travel a little south.

Elsa's stomach growled. Jack grinned. „I think it's time we made dinner."

She nodded in agreement, untangling herself from him and standing up. Hand in hand, they left Elsa's room, and once they entered the living room, they could hear Anna and Kristoff bicker like an old married couple. Or a bunch of kids. Honestly, with these two, one never knew. Elsa cleared her throat and the bickering stopped immediately. Elsa grinned. „Aren't you two hungry?"

Both of them nodded, Anna looking tiny bit subdued, if a little guilty. Jack nearly groaned in frustration – _it wasn't her fault, damn it._ Sighing, he let it go for now, knowing that nothing he could say would actually lessen her guilt. Anna seemed to be like him in that regard. Instead, he grinned, his smile mirroring Elsa's. „How about you join us? It'll be fun! No food fights, though, already had one earlier."

All three shoot him puzzled looks, but Jack just smiled to himself, if a bit cockily. He liked to think that he was the mysterious bad boy with a heart of gold, when in reality, he came off as a goofball. Well, let it be known that he did not care.

„What are we cookin'?" asked Kristoff a few minutes later, after everyone washed their hands, all of them in surprisingly spacious kitchen.

„Pasta! With homemade sauce," Jack answered, his voice full of childish excitement. „Alright! So, Elsa and I will make the sauce – no, Anna, I promise I won't let her burn down the apartment. You and Kristoff chop the vegetables, set the table maybe? And watch the pasta so that it doesn't overflow, otherwise you'll be eating nothing but pasta for the next three months."

„I barely trust Elsa to boil water, Jack," teased Anna, seemingly more at ease, „are you sure you want to risk it?"

„Didn't she make you lasagna the other day? Besides, she'll be my assistant. Her job? Watching, learning, looking pretty. Not necessarily in that order."

„Thanks for the vote of confidence, baby," Elsa said sarcastically, and Jack preened a little at the term of endearment. Anna and Kristoff seemed to notice the nickname as well, but decided not to comment on it, just smiled.

„The lasagna, sorry, dear sister, was probably the worst thing I've ever tasted. And I ate a live squid, once!" Anna exclaimed, and Jack finally lost it, doubling over with laughter, clutching his stomach. Elsa was not amused.

„Alright, chop chop, it's already eight. The sauce is tomato based, so it won't take long to actually cook, and it won't taste like shit even if slightly undercooked, thank our Lord and Savior, Anthony Bourdain, may he rest in peace. Anna, Kristoff, you may begin."

The group laughed silently, the atmosphere friendly and comforting. Jack and Elsa started with the sauce, with Jack mixing and Elsa adding, and in some cases, cutting the necessary ingredients, like onion and garlic.

Elsa took a look at Jack – he looked happy and comfortable, the smile on his face small but genuine.

„Hey, Jack?" asked Anna.

„Ya?"

„Where did you learn how to cook?"

Jack turned to look at her and smiled, his voice full of nostalgia and happy memories. „My mom taught me."

Nearly an hour and a half later, with the quartet's tummies full and satisfied, the two pairs found themselves on the living room couch, Jack and Kristoff near the edge, the sisters in the middle, both of them next to their boyfriends.

„Tonight's agenda," Anna began ominously and Elsa continued, „is to stay awake until morning, gorge ourselves on popcorn, and lose five pounds to fear."

Jack choked slightly, trying to contain a laugh. He could see the other three do the same thing, before all of them burst into giggles. Well, all of them except for Kristoff, who was laughing, full out.

„IT'S HORROR NIGHT, BITCHES," yelled Anna, and immediately covered her mouth, mortified. Elsa facepalmed and shook her head, her body shaking with laughter. „Anyway! Let's start!"

It turned out that the only person who actually would lose those five pounds to fear was Jack. Kristoff, apparently, wasn't afraid of anything except for spiders. Anna, instead of being scared shitless, actually laughed at all the jump scares, the little psycho she was. Elsa seemed fairly passive, but when he interlaced his fingers with hers, she squeezed.

„Is that fucking Obi-Wan Kenobi?" Jack asked incredulously, and Kristoff nodded.

„Anakin broke him," he whispered, and Jack huffed out a laugh. Elsa shushed them, only for Jack to fucking leap three feet in the air at a jump scare a few minutes later.

„You hate horrors, don't you?" Elsa asked a few seconds after that, and Jack nodded sheepishly.

„Oh, this is gonna be fun," she smiled in response, her grin slightly devious. Jack gulped.

_Shit._

Four jump scares and seven heart attacks later, the movie finally ended, and Elsa, instead of being the loving and supportive girlfriend she should be, grinned mischievously and put on a different horror movie.

This time, however, Jack didn't jump once – mostly because, unexpectedly, Elsa kept muttering different comments under her breath, calling most of the characters stupid and saying Good when they finally met their tragic end. And for Jack, it was _hilarious._

„Why would she start running after knocking him down? Girl, just fucking knee him in the groin, how hard can it be?" she muttered, and Jack kept giving her heart eyes.

Anna, obviously used to Elsa's comments, didn't react at all, only watched the movie and ate the popcorn.

Feeling slightly tired from his previous panic attack, and emotionally drained from today's events, Jack found himself burrowing into the couch and his girlfriend, his head on her chest. The position felt slightly awkward, mostly because he was so tall (but luckily, he was flexible as well.) She wrapped an arm around him and stroked his hair absentmindedly, her attention on the movie. The combination of her fingers in his hair, her whispered comments, her heartbeat, and his noodle-like tiredness, Jack dozed off in minutes.

It pained Elsa's heart to wake him half an hour later, but feeling fairly tired herself, and seeing Anna and Kristoff dozing off on the couch as well, she decided it was time to retire for the night. Feeling sentimental, she caressed Jack's cheek, and his eyes fluttered open, his sleep obviously light. „Hey, sleepyhead," she whispered, „how about we go to sleep properly?"

Jack nodded wordlessly, and together, they stood up. They woke Anna and Kristoff as well, bidding them goodnight. Elsa heard Anna mutter something sarcastic about staying up all night, but even her sister had to admit that she felt tired, the previous week obviously having been hard on them all.

Elsa was already wearing her pajamas – an old but comfortable t-shirt a few sizes too big for her and a pair of flannel bottoms. She stood outside her room, giving Jack privacy to change into his pajamas, too, despite already having seen him only in his boxers just a few hours prior.

„Done," he whispered, and a few minutes later, they found themselves lying on Elsa's queen-sized bed, her head on his chest, silently tracing the line of his scar visible through his t-shirt. What came as a surprise, though, even to him, was that he didn't mind the touch at all. Even more strangely, it soothed him, instead.

Elsa's tracing became slower and slower with her breaths evening out, and after a while, she was out like a light, her ear against his heart. Jack kissed her hair tenderly and put his arms around her, before letting sleep take him once again, oblivious to anything but the girl in his arms.

He didn't wake up once.

A week later, when Jack posted a picture of him kissing Elsa's temple on Instagram with the caption of a simple heart, his sister lost her shit.

„Father texted me," Anna mentioned casually during dinner, nearly two weeks after Jack and Elsa had gotten together, and, of course, a week before Halloween.

Elsa's hand stilled and she looked at Anna in surprise. „Oh?"

„Yup," Anna confirmed, „said he wants us to come home for Christmas."

„Anna, it's October."

„I know right? Besides, I don't know whether I actually want to go. Do you?" Anna asked.

Elsa shrugged, shaking her head a little. „Not really. I don't know. I thought this Christmas would be just the two of us, you know? Like last time. I just... I don't know. If I'm ready to talk to him again."

„That's what I told him, pretty much." Seeing Elsa's expression, Anna explained, „I basically told him what you told me, just from the perspective of the both of us, you know? Because to be honest, I'm not sure I actually want to spend Christmas with him. Why now, though? Mom died almost four years ago," Anna muttered, playing with her food, not eating it. She looked into Elsa's eyes. „Why is he trying to act like a dad now? When we're adults?"

Elsa sighed, not really knowing how to answer. On the inside, she wondered the same thing.

While Elsa's personal life was, at least according to her, perfect at the moment, sans the exception of her father's supposed change of heart, her academic life wasn't as simple. Between her sessions with Sandy and her exams starting to pile up, she barely had the time to breathe, eat, and sleep, let alone spend time with her friends (I have friends now, not just Anna!), boyfriend, and, of course, her dear sister. Jack, either unfortunately or fortunately, she wasn't sure, had even less free time than she did – not counting his studies, he still had to work part-time.

Oh, shoot! She had a session with Sandy scheduled for today. Elsa smiled to herself, a plan forming in that brains of hers. She could still make a short stop for a coffee, right? And she had just the right coffee shop in mind.

Jack was singing under his breath, gently swaying to the rhythm of the radio playing across the Starbucks. Today was an empty day – it was the middle of the week, yes, but some days were slower than others, especially for a coffee shop mostly frequented by students whose circles gave them black eyes.

Jack was one of them, though he had been sleeping better the past two and a half weeks. He smiled a little to himself, and his grin only widened when the door to the shop opened and a certain platinum blonde came in, her smile nearly as wide as his own, though much more tired.

„Hello there, miss," he greeted, „may I say that you look ravishing today?"

Elsa smiled and rolled her eyes. „Hey there, stranger. One black coffee, please."

„One black coffee coming right up," Jack said and went off to prepare the beverage. „What's a pretty girl like you doing in a shitty coffee shop like this all alone?"

„Overland, don't you have a girlfriend? Stop flirting with the customers!" yelled Oaken from the back.

„That is my girlfriend, you sack of potatoes!" Jack yelled back and Elsa had to stifle a giggle. How had he not gotten fired yet?

„Ask her if she wants to try our Halloween Blowout!"

Jack groaned, before turning around and smiling. „Do you want to try our Halloween Blowout?" he asked, his voice devoid of any emotion. Like an average cashier, honestly.

„What's the Halloween Blowout?" Elsa asked, deciding to humor her boyfriend and his boss.

„It tastes like Discount Franken Frapuccino. Don't tell Oaken I said that, it'd break his heart. It's true, though. For the love of Jack Skellington, please, I'm begging you, never order this drink. I'd rather drink my own piss."

„That's an image I'll never get out of my head, thanks," Elsa said dryly.

Jack changed the subject. „So, what brings you here? I don't suppose you're only here to see your hunk of a man?"

Elsa laughed, shaking her head. „What, can't a girl come visit her hunk of a man?" she asked, deepening her voice in an attempt to imitate him.

Jack's heart started to beat a little faster, completely transfixed. He wanted to kiss her. He really, really wanted to kiss her. He couldn't, though – neither of them was a big fan of PDA. Jack still found her absolutely and utterly adorable, however.

„Of course you can, sugary vascular system pump." At Elsa's blank look, he elaborated. „Sweetheart. I called you sweetheart."

„Please, don't _ever_ do that again."

„Sure thing, infant woman."

„Jesus Christ, Jack."

„The relationship is progressing far better than I could've hoped, or imagined," Elsa said, „he makes me happy."

She was quiet for a few seconds, and then continued, her voice hesitant, „So why am I so hesitant? About telling him? When he so clearly trusts me and told me what happened to him?" Elsa looked at Sandy, a silent plea in her eyes.

Sandy did not answer for a minute, letting the silence wash over the room. Finally, after what felt like hours to Elsa, he spoke, „You went through an unimaginable ordeal, Elsa. You are aware of what I diagnosed you with, yes?"

Elsa nodded and recited, the diagnosis completely memorized by this point. „Anxiety, PTSD, depression, schizoid personality disorder."

„Indeed."

Elsa thought about this for a minute and continued. „But I am not as depressed anymore! And I rarely get nightmares anymore. I am fine."

Sandy didn't say anything, he just let her talk. Eventually, after a few seconds of silence, Elsa deflated. „I am not fine, am I?"

Sandy smiled gently. „It is only natural to be hesitant, Elsa. You must know you are not an open book. Quite far from it, actually."

Elsa nodded. „You think I'm hesitant to tell him because I'm afraid he'll decide I'm not worth the effort. That I'm too damaged for him."

„I never said that. Do you think so?"

She sighed. „Maybe. I don't know. I had spent so much time isolating myself from everyone, even Anna. Everything I've done so far with him has been natural, like an instinct. But other than that, I.. I don't know how to actually have a relationship. I know I want to be with him, I definitely do. I haven't been this happy since before... you know. I just... I don't even know how to have a friendship with anyone other than my sister! What if I screw up badly?"

„From what you've told me about him, even if you did, as you put it, screw up badly, he still wouldn't abandon you. Because that's what you're afraid of, isn't it? That he'll abandon you, just like everyone else after your mother died."

Well, let it be said that Sandy did not hold any punches. Elsa stared at him in shock while Sandy stared back, calm as ever. Pulling herself out of her stupor, she whispered in realization, „Yes."

„Do you want my professional opinion?"

Elsa nodded.

„Talk to him." He raised a hand before she had the chance to interrupt, something a psychiatrist rarely does, „not about what happened to you. Talk to him honestly. Tell him you need time."

It gave Elsa something to ponder about until the rest of the session.

_elsa_arendelle: can you come over? we need to talk_

To be quite honest, when Jack first read the message, a wave of panic so sudden and pierce flashed over him he could barely breathe. Then the rational part of his brain (yes, he did have one) started to work and he realized that no, she was probably not breaking up with him. What worried him slightly was the fact that her usual punctuation was missing. No full stops, no capital letters.

_jackdad_overland: yeah sure_

_jackdad_overland: is everything okay?_

Seeming to sense his discomfort, Elsa immediately replied.

_elsa_arendelle: yes.. no.. i dont know_

_elsa_arendelle: were okay, dont worry_

_elsa_arendelle: im just a little anxious_

That didn't make Jack feel much better, but he guessed he'd find out soon. With a quick reply of see you in 20, he rushed out of the apartment, only barely remembering to grab his helmet.

Fifteen minutes later, he found himself knocking on Elsa's (and Anna's!) door, which was quickly opened by his girlfriend, who looked rather pale. He quickly embraced her, and she relaxed into his touch immediately, her body going limp. „What's going on, love?" he asked, kissing her hair.

„Let's just stay like this for a minute, okay?" she whispered, and Jack nodded.

After five minutes of him just holding her, she slowly let go. Elsa took his hand and led him to the living room, surprisingly devoid of Anna. „She's at Kristoff's," Elsa explained. Jack nodded.

Elsa sat down and Jack lowered himself next to her, her body tense. This time, it was her who started playing with his fingers. „You must've noticed I have my own baggage," she started, and Jack nodded, letting her speak. „I..I'm not sure I can tell you now."

Jack nodded again, this time a little confused. „I just need time. Just don't think it's because I don't trust you or anything like that – I do, with my whole being. I've just never opened up to anyone so quickly as much as to you, not even Sandy."

„Sandy?" Jack asked.

„My psychiatrist," she clarified, and Jack nodded in understanding.

„Hey," he said after he noticed her looking down. Gently, he put his finger on her chin and slowly lifted her head, letting her eyes meet his. Sky met cobalt, anxiety met understanding. He smiled. „It's okay. You take as much time as you need. I'll be here, whenever you're ready, okay?"

Elsa's posture relaxed immediately, the anxiety slowly dissipating into nothingness. She sighed when she felt Jack run his fingers through her hair, and feeling tired, she laid her head on his lap, sprawling on the couch like a cat. Jack found it absolutely endearing. Quickly taking his shoes off, Jack stretched his legs on the table and leaned back on the couch.

„Whenever you're ready, I'll be here," he whispered, repeating his words from a few minutes ago. Elsa smiled into his stomach.

Soon, Jack. I'll tell you soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shortest chapter yet! Dang.


	6. Chapter 6

„Is there anything else you would like to tell me?" asked Sandy, noticing her tense body language.

Elsa stayed quiet. She sighed after a few seconds and finally said, „My father wants to reconnect."

„How does that make you feel?" Sandy asked.

„I don't know, honestly... or maybe I do. I feel angry. No, not angry. Furious. Sad. Hopeful, maybe? Probably a mix of every feeling there is," she ran a hand through her hair, „Why would he want to reconnect? After so much time? It's been 4 years and the only thing he's been doing was paying our tuition and apartment and sending us an allowance and basically—he just... he keeps giving us money instead of his attention. Why now?

Once she started, she couldn't keep the words in. „I am so confused. After what happened to mom, he closed himself off, he distanced himself from us when we needed him the most. When I needed him the most," she said, her voice cracking at the last sentence. Elsa was near tears now, and Sandy decided to let her keep speaking. „He hurt us... hurt me. How can I ever forget this?" she finished.

Sandy looked at her, and quietly answered. „One does not need to forget to forgive, Elsa. Do you want to forgive him?"

Elsa deflated slightly, her posture going from tense to tired in a few short moments. „I don't know. I'll have to think about it. How are you doing? Any plans for Halloween?"

Sandy smiled a little, deciding to humor her. „I am your psychiatrist, Elsa, we should not talk about things like this. But, yes, I do have plans for Halloween."

„Hello?" asked Elsa as she picked up the phone, despite already knowing who it was.

 _„My, my, so professional,"_ retorted the teasing voice of her boyfriend, and she smiled to herself.

„Waddup," she said, and she heard him choke slightly. This time, Elsa grinned fully.

_„Okay, didn't expect that. Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about something."_

„Oh?" Elsa asked, feeling a tiny bit anxious. Her worry, however, dissipated after Jack spoke again.

_„My godfather, North, does this thing every year... you know, a Halloween party. The whole group is going, and..you know.. I was wondering if you wanted to join me? We could do like.. a couple's theme or something, I don't know. Only if you want to, though. Anna and Kristoff could come, too, obviously. And my sister's gonna be there, too! So you could officially meet her.. you know.. she's been pestering me about wanting to meet you for some time now."_

Jack seemed to be holding his breath, the line oddly quiet. „I would love to, Jack."

The loud _whoop_ made Elsa cringe away from the phone, but she grinned anyway. „I'm afraid Kristoff and Anna won't be able to make it, as they have other plans. However, I'd love to meet your sister. Tell me, oh, babe of mine, do you have any ideas for a couple's theme, as you so eloquently put it?"

They talked back and forth for almost an hour, having figured out their costumes within the first ten minutes or so. The rest they just talked, enjoying one another's voice and time spent together, yet still apart.

 _„Alright, gotta go, we have a very loud customer here. Baristas are apparently not allowed to accept calls on the job,"_ Jack said, his voice slightly dejected, but the humor hard to miss.

„Jack! You're at work?! We've been talking for nearly an hour!" Elsa exclaimed, scandalized. A little amused, too, but she couldn't tell him that. He knew.

_„Excuse me, I'm the best emplo—okay, okay. Gotta go, Oaken's losing his shit. See you soon, sweetcheeks. Bye."_

Jack hung up and Elsa laughed. Sweetcheeks? Very well. Two could play this game.

_elsa_arendelle: I've already got my costume. How about you?_

_jackdad_overland: ye, had it since yesterday_

_jackdad_overland: too slow, arendelle_

_jackdad_overland: imma pick you up at 9?_

_jackdad_overland: oh the rides gon be so much fun omg_

_elsa_arendelle: Why?_

_elsa_arendelle: Jack, I am getting slightly concerned._

_jackdad_overland: aster owns a van lmao_

_jackdad_overland: tho tbf we could always go on my bike ;)_

_elsa_arendelle: The van sounds good._

_jackdad_overland: :/_

_elsa_arendelle: <3 _

„Okay, so, Jack with the rest of them will arrive in about thirty minutes," Elsa said, adjusting her wig.

„You're meeting your boyfriend's family for the first time, Elsa! This is big!" Anna exclaimed, her costume perfectly fitting.

„Thank you, princess Aurora, that does not make me feel any less anxious. Not at all," Elsa rolled her eyes. Anna shrugged, throwing herself onto Elsa's bed.

They were in Elsa's room, with Elsa doing some last minute adjustments to her costume while Anna waited for Kristoff to come pick her up and take her to the orphanage, from which they'd go trick-or-treating with the children. It's something Anna and Kristoff had done last year, as well, and Elsa quietly admired her for that.

Elsa's phone buzzed a few minutes later, indicating the arrival of her boyfriend and the rest of his ( _their_ ) rag-tag group of friends. „Oh, shoot, I've got to go!" Elsa exclaimed, quickly hugging Anna who wished her fun, and quickly running out of the apartment, though her costume made it a teeny bit harder. Elsa, however, was used to heels, and running in them had become a child's play during her years of high school.

All of them were waiting outside Aster's van, looking like a weird rock band.

Elsa greeted Jack by a kiss on the cheek and a hug, hugging Astrid and Tooth as well, and giving the rest of the boys a high-five or a fist bump. She noticed Jack gaping at her like a fish out of water, and she smirked to herself. He looked hot.

„So, it seems Jack and I were not the only ones who decided to go for a theme," Elsa remarked, looking at Hiccup and Astrid, who were dressed as pirates, with Hiccup's prosthetic looking like a piece of wood. She had no idea he was an amputee, never noticed it, really.

Hiccup beamed. „Nope! We're fucking pirate vikings! The best of both worlds!"

Astrid whispered, not at all quietly. „He's been obsessed with vikings since high school." Jack only nodded in confirmation.

Her boyfriend and herself decided to go for the Disney route, with her costume being Maleficent and Jack's being Diaval. Aster and Tooth decided to go the funnier route and went as Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy, respectively. Elsa, of course, had to make a remark. „Aster, what's with the raccoon costume?"

Aster, in response, sputtered indignantly. „Raccoon? A fucking raccoon? This one," he pointed at Jack, „has been teasing me about looking like a fucking kangaroo. Did you conspire against me?"

During Aster's outburst, Elsa looked at Jack, who winked at her. She grinned. He slowly closed the distance between them and put his arm around her waist. „Hey there, hot stuff. Gotta say, my jaw was on the floor when I first saw you."

Elsa beamed. „Yes, I noticed. To be fair, you don't look so bad yours—Jack, are those cowboy boots?" she asked in confusion, looking at his legs.

Jack grinned and proudly proclaimed, „I'm a crowboy!"

Everyone around him groaned, especially his girlfriend.

They pulled up in front of a huge mansion on the outskirts of Burgess – had Elsa not been used to wealth, she was pretty sure it would be her gaping like a fish this time. Jack seemed oddly nervous, probably expecting a reaction. Instead, Elsa only smiled at him and said that she liked the architecture. Jack squeezed her hand in response.

The music, once they got in, was by no means loud – to be honest, the party seemed more like a gala, with only some party elements throughout. All in all, the atmosphere seemed to be comfortable, and Elsa's amusement shot through the roof when a huge man in his 50's dressed as a Santa ran over to Jack and gathered him in a hug, picking him off the floor without any visible struggle whatsoever.

„Jack!" he yelled, the Russian accent in his voice hard to miss even after saying only one word. „You made it! Did you bring her? The girlfriend?"

„North," Jack wheezed, „ribs."

„Oh, right," North said, and Elsa recognized the name of Jack's godfather immediately. After he greeted each of Jack's friends, obviously familiar with them, his intimidating gaze turned to Elsa. North grinned, his smile incredibly warm and welcoming – he reminded her of Anna a little bit. „And you must be the girlfriend! Mary told me so much about you," he said with a pointed look at Jack. Jack, in response, only shrugged sheepishly, embarrassed.

„Figured the little devil would tell you everything," Jack said, grinning.

„Welcome to the family, Elsa!" North exclaimed and gave her a bear hug – definitely not as smothering as the one he gave Jack, but close. Elsa now understood that Jack did not exaggerate about his ribs.

He let her go a few short seconds later, however, and after excusing himself, left them to their own devices. Their own devices turned out to be a brunette dressed as Wonder Woman, who barrelled into Jack like a mini torpedo, nearly knocking him off his feet.

„And this," he said, his voice strained, „is my little sister, Mary."

Mary smiled at the group, also familiar with them. She winked at Jack and after a series of elaborate handshakes with every person in the group sans Jack and Elsa, she turned to look at them.

Elsa felt anxious, but smiled at her nonetheless. So, this was Jack's sister. „Hi, I'm Elsa. It's nice to finally meet you! Jack's told me about you quite a bit."

Mary shot Jack a look before smiling genuinely at Elsa and hugging her, surprising the blonde. Or, well, the dark-haired fairy. „Oh, the feeling's mutual! So this is the girl that my brother won't shut up about! You're even prettier in real life!"

Elsa blushed and thanked her, which won Mary over in a heartbeat. „I approve of her, Frost. What does she see in you, again?" she asked, punching him in the shoulder.

Frost? Elsa mouthed, and Jack rolled his eyes with an affectionate smile. She figured she'd ask later. Seeing Jack with his sister, she couldn't help but notice the familiarity between them, and herself and Anna.

Jack grinned and put his arm around his sister, „Thanks for having faith in me, sis. Really, I appreciate it. How do I even deserve to be in the same room as you?"

„Good question."

At this, the entire group laughed, with the exception of Hiccup and Astrid, who apparently decided to start making out.

„PDA, lovebirds?" Tooth teased, already used to them not being able to keep their hands off each other.

„We've got enough of those, thanks," responded Hiccup. Astrid giggled into his neck. Aster rolled his eyes.

„May I have this dance?" Jack whispered into Elsa's ear, and she shivered. Hoping he didn't notice her reaction, which he did but pretended not to, she looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

„They're playing Thriller, honey."

Jack shrugged. „So?"

Deciding to humor him, Elsa accepted his hand, and slowly, they walked onto the dance floor, their fingers interlocked.

Looking at them from afar, Mary asked the group, „They banged yet?"

„Nah," answered all of them in unison.

Mary rolled her eyes.

As the hours dragged on, more people arrived, the music getting louder each minute. Where three hours ago there was about fifty of them, right now the entire mansion seemed to be filled with people,

Hiccup and Astrid disappeared some time ago, and Elsa decided she felt better not knowing. Same went for Aster and Tooth, though she saw them dancing in a circle of people a few minutes ago. Let it be said that North, despite his age, could throw some wild parties.

Unfortunately for Elsa, wild parties were not her thing. Her hands started to feel clammy and her breathing became faster and faster, the walls slowly closing in. Before she had the chance to start panicking completely, she felt Jack put his arm around her shoulder. Elsa leaned into him, grateful for the distraction and the touch, his touch, that always managed to calm her down, even if only a little bit.

„Do you wanna leave?" he whispered into her ear, and Elsa nodded, grateful for not having to speak. He interlaced his fingers with hers and hand in hand, they went outside. Jack called for a taxi, deciding not to bother Aster to take them into the city. After he hung up, he looked at Elsa.

„Are you okay?"

Elsa nodded, blushing slightly. „Yes, I'm fine. It's just.. I don't do crowds really well. Or loud spaces."

Jack nodded in understanding, smiling down at her. „It's alright. We can go to mine, watch some Netflix, if you want to."

Elsa grinned. „Actually, I think I know what we can do! Tell me, Jack, are you good with children?" She already knew the answer.

„Not half bad. Why?"

„You'll see."

Elsa dropped a few quick texts to Anna, explaining the situations and asking if they could join them. Anna, in her usual manner, replied a few seconds later with a set of excited emojis and their current location.

Once the taxi dropped them off and Jack paid for it, despite Elsa's protest, they noticed Kristoff nearly immediately, his hulking form impossible to miss. A couple of children stood in front of him, and after Jack counted six, he noticed Anna, who seemed to be leading the group.

„Uh, Elsa? Sweetheart? Baby? Light of my life? The sun to my moon?"

Elsa turned her amused gaze at him. „Yes?"

„What is going on?"

Elsa laughed and explained. „Every year... well, this is their second, but still, every year, Kristoff and Anna take a few of the orphanage children too young to go trick-or-treating on their own, and go with them. I never joined, but I think it's time I do. With you."

She bit her lip, waiting for his response. He grinned. „That sounds amazing! Come on, let's join them!" Jack exclaimed enthusiastically, grabbing Elsa's hand and leading her over to the group.

„Kristoff! Anna! Hey!" Jack yelled.

„Hey, guys! Welcome to our annual trick-or-treating! Let me introduce you to the kids," greeted Anna, before introducing each of the children. „This is Monty, Caleb, Russell, Olaf, Lilo and Quasimodo."

Jack knelt down to their level and smiled at them. „Hey, guys. I'm Diaval the Crowboy!"

The children giggled, most of them noticing his cowboy boots. „And this is my friend, Maleficent."

The children all looked at her, looking slightly intimated. That was, until Elsa smiled. All of the fear disappeared, only to be replaced by awe. „You are so pretty," whispered a boy who looked to be about eight. Olaf?

„Thank you, Olaf," said Elsa, her amusement evident.

Yes, Olaf.

Jack couldn't help it, he just had to send a dopey grin her way. She beamed at him, obviously enjoying the attention of the children. No wonder she managed to charm them instantaneously – she did it to him, too.

„Too good for this world," Jack whispered, „too pure."

„What was that?" asked Kristoff, looking a little hilarious as Prince Phillip.

„Nothing," Jack said quickly. „Nothing at all."

„Sure, Jack," Kristoff said, „sure."

„Oh, shut up, ya goof."

„I used to go trick-or-treating with Anna all the time when we were kids," Elsa whispered as the kids, along with Aurora and Phillip, knocked on yet another door.

„Same with me and Mary," Jack grinned. „and the group, too. Last year, we went as a bunch of grandmas with fake door. We knocked on the door and then, once someone opened it, we had them knock on ours. We cooed over their costumes and gave them treats. It was fucking hilarious," he said. Elsa giggled, which slowly turned into laughter.

After she managed to calm down, he asked „Why did you stop?"

„Stop what?"

„Trick-or-treating."

„I got old," deadpanned Elsa, „and so did Anna."

„Well, look at yourselves now," he gestured to Elsa, then to her sister, „trick or treating."

„I am not trick-or-treating."

„Oh, yes you are. Admit it, love, you never get too old for trick-or-treating."

Elsa rolled her eyes. „Yes, you do. In fact, you are too old for trick-or-treating, too!"

„You are one year older than me."

„Which only proves my point."

Jack grabbed her hand and led her away. „Jack, what are you doing?" she asked, her tone apprehensive. She trusted him, there was no doubt, but she knew about his mischievous streak all too well. They stopped in front of a house decorated with spiders webs – no spiders, luckily, Jack hated those – and twice as many carved pumkins.

„Why, taking you trick-or-treating, of course!" Before Elsa could do anything to stop him, Jack knocked on the door and yelled out, „Trick-or-treat!"

The door opened a few seconds later, revealing an old man with square glasses and a silver cane. Weirdly, the cane had four tennis balls attached to its foot. Neither of them said anything. The old man smiled at them kindly. „My, my, don't you two look absolutely adorable! Ellie, come look at this! Don't they remind you of us, back in the day?"

His wife, apparently, appeared at the door almost instantly, and she beamed at them. „Oh, yes, they look positively in love! Here, take some candy, one never gets too old for trick-or-treating!"

Grinning, Jack gestured for Elsa to take the candy, smiling at her childlike expression of wonder. He wore the same expression every time he looked at her.

„And you, too, young man!" said the grandpa. Jack smiled kindly and thanked him, taking the candy. They saw a bunch of other kids nearing the house, and deciding to take their leave, Jack and Elsa thanked the couple once again before leaving.

What Elsa didn't expect, however, was seeing her psychiatrist among the group of children. Apparently, Anna wasn't the only one doing this. Sandy and Elsa nodded at each other and smiled, not exchanging a word.

„Well, that was weird."

„That was my psychiatrist, Jack."

„Oh."

They staggered into Jack's apartment at nearly three in the morning, both of them dead tired. Kristoff and Anna decided to spend the night at Elsa and Anna's apartment, giving Elsa an excuse to spend the night at Jack's.

While Elsa looked around the fairly spacious apartment, finding glimpses of Jack nearly everywhere, the boy in question went to his bedroom to find her something to wear, considering the only clothing she was wearing was the costume, which became uncomfortable some time around hour two of wearing it.

After giving her a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt, Jack decided that he really, really, really liked seeing her in his clothes. Jack also changed into a pair of pajamas. Together, they saw down on the couch, Jack's laptop in front of them, both of them cuddled together and watching Netflix.

For Elsa, this moment was perfect, and Jack seemed to think so as well, considering he fell asleep on her chest twenty minutes into the TV show. She sighed and continued to stroke his hair, letting the gentle rhythm of his breathing lull her to sleep, too.

When Jack woke up, he felt very well-rested, if slightly stiff. It wouldn't be the first time he woke up on his couch, but it definitely would be the first time he woke up on the couch with his head on his magnificent girlfriend's chest. Not his girlfriend's magnificent chest, though she had that, too. No, his magnificent girlfriend, full stop.

As much as he wanted to embrace her forever, Jack stood up and ever so gently, picked her up and carried her to his bedroom. Slowly setting her down on his bed, he put his favorite weighted blanket over her and kissed her forehead, before leaving for the kitchen in order to make breakfast.

When Elsa woke up, she didn't feel stiff at all – she felt content, happy, safe. Her tired, happy smile quickly turned into a pout when she realized Jack wasn't with her. Then, as soon as the pout came, it also disappeared when she smelled something delicious. Her stomach growled. Deciding that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep, despite the very comfortable bed and the amazing blanket, she stood up and padded over to the kitchen, where the sight of her shirtless boyfriend greeted her.

Why was he shirtless? He was wearing a t-shirt when he fell asleep. The answer quickly became evident when she noticed the discarded shirt on the chair, the stains on it self-explanatory. He was a klutz.

She wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and kissed his back. He hummed, leaning into her.

„Good morning," he whispered, and she smiled and said it back.

„Whatcha cookin'?" she asked, and Jack found her use of slang absolutely adorable.

„Two omelettes with French toast. There's orange juice in the fridge if you're thirsty," he answered. „Besides being thirsty for me, obviously."

„Obviously," Elsa deadpanned, her voice monotone. She giggled a second later, and Jack turned around, putting his arms around her waist and kissing her gently.

„Morning breath, Overland," she whispered.

„I don't care," he whispered back.

„Now, that's romantic."

„What's romantic is me cooking you breakfast as an apology for falling asleep on you. Now, there's an unused toothbrush under the bathroom sink, and you can use my toothpaste," he said.

„My, my, that's true love, isn't it?"

The look on his face was serious when he answered, „Yeah, it is."

She blushed. He grinned. „Now, chop chop, the food will be waiting for you by the time you're back."

She knew about Jack's cooking abilities. She knew they far surpassed her own, though that wasn't a thing anyone should boast about. Hiccup's cat could cook better, she was sure. But even his breakfast food was heaven.

„So," she started, „what did you think of my costume?"

Jack stopped and looked at her, then grinned. „You looked positively terrifying, babe."

„Awww, thank you!"

„Also, hot. Very, very hot. That's what you wanted to hear, wasn't it?"

Elsa shrugged. „Maybe."

Jack scoffed, finding her endearing – not like that was anything new. They held eye contact, slowly chewing their food. Jack's t-shirt was a few sizes too big on her, making it slide down her shoulder to reveal a milky collarbone. Similarly, Elsa's train of thought wasn't that far from his own.

They launched at themselves at precisely the same moment, their lips meeting in a heated, passionate kiss. Elsa deepened the kiss, eliciting a pleased moan from Jack. He grabbed her by the thighs and lifted her up in one smooth swoop, while Elsa wrapped her legs around his waist on instinct. They separated for a few seconds, breathing heavily, before Elsa whispered in a husky tone, „Bedroom?"

„Bedroom."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone recognize the names? ;)
> 
> Also, only about 2 chapters left on the story! My, my!
> 
> Also also, talk to me. Please. It's 5 AM. I feel like a dead man walking. Not even walking. Dead man breathing. Barely.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for mentions of self-harm

Tender touches. Soft, passionate kisses. Hungry, insatiable looks. Roaming hands. Gentle teasing. Gasps, moans. Desire, happiness, love.

Kissing the faint lines across her wrist, he looked into her eyes and whispered, „I love you."

She pulled him in for a rough, desperate kiss. „I love you, too," she breathed.

Lost in each other, consumed by lust, in one another's arms.

Elsa's eyes drifted open. Memories of last night kept replaying in her mind, unwilling to disappear. She didn't want them to. She was happy. So, so happy. She was glowing. Lifting her head, Elsa looked at the boy. The boy who made it all real, the boy who made her happier than she thought she could ever be. Her Jack. She caressed his cheeks lightly, careful not to wake him. Peaceful. He looked to peaceful, sleeping calmly for the first time in what she guessed was a long, long time. His arms were wrapped around her, keeping her in place. Elsa didn't mind. She didn't mind at all. In a perfect world, a dream, perhaps, she could stay like this forever – safe, warm, comfortable. Happy. Everything, purely by being in his arms. By being with him.

Her bladder did not seem inclined to agree, and with a reluctant sigh, she tried to untangle herself from him in a way that would, hopefully, not wake him. It's not like she wouldn't actually come back. Jack, however, had a different idea, and when she tried to let go, his arms only tightened around her. Elsa sighed and tried to move away once more, only for him to bring her even closer and bury his head in her shoulder.

„Jack," she whispered, „I know you're awake. I need to pee."

Elsa felt him smile against her shoulder before kissing it, making her slightly melt.

„Do it here," he whispered, his voice deeper than normal, which sent a shiver down her spine. When her brain actually processed what he'd said, she turned around – which, admittedly, was very impressive, considering his tight hold on her – and gave him an unimpressed look. His eyes were sleepy, the blue shining brighter than usual. He also seemed to realize what he'd said, and quickly backtracked. „Okay, maybe not. Promise you'll come back, though?"

She gave him a quick peck on the lips. „I promise."

Jack let out a whine when she went to untangle herself from him, but this time, he actually let go of her, albeit reluctantly. He very much enjoyed the sight of her retreating form, all porcelain skin and beautiful curves and blonde hair. She also brushed her teeth in the bathroom, urging Jack to do so as well.

„Baby, you know I love you," she said, the words feeling foreign but right, „but I am not about to make out with you if you don't brush your teeth."

Jack was in the bathroom in record time.

It was Friday, both of them had no classes, and Jack was smart enough to not take any shifts today. Which meant that Elsa actually got to keep her promise to return to bed, Jack gladly following her. They were clothed, this time, much to Jack's, and also Elsa's, disappointment. They cuddled and kissed, they talked and laughed. Somehow, they ended up talking about their high school years, both of their experiences being vastly different.

„And then, Hiccup was like, _No, Astrid, I swear I didn't actually clog the toilets! That was all Hiro!_ " Jack said, his chest vibrating with the cackle. „No one believed him, not even his own girlfriend. Poor guy. It was actually me. I clogged all the toilets, just for shits and giggles."

Both of them were laughing, but once the laughter died down, the atmosphere turned somber.

„They called me the Ice Queen all throughout high school," she said, her voice soft. She was tracing the lines of his scar with her fingers, with her head on his chest and her eyes closed. Jack seemed to understand the meaning behind the nickname.

„You're the last person I'd describe as cold," he said, kissing her temple. Elsa smiled sadly, remembering. Reminiscing.

„I never was. Not really. I mean... I avoided people. Never formed any meaningful relationships outside my sister. And you."

„And our friends," he added.

Elsa smiled. „And our friends." She took a deep breath, knowing she could trust him, yet still hesitating the tiniest bit. „I got diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder when I was thirteen."

Jack didn't say anything, just held her a little tighter. Elsa continued, „You know what that is, don't you?"

It wasn't a question, rather a statement. Of course he knew what it was. „It's a disorder characterized by social isolation, feelings of indifference towards other people, little to no desire to form close relationships with others. People with this disorder are often described as cold, withdrawn, or aloof," he recited from memory. He felt Elsa nod into his chest.

„Mine wasn't as severe as what you described," she explained, „I just didn't really care about anyone. Anyone but my sister and parents. Anyway, when I went to school, people obviously noticed the withdrawn girl. They started calling me nicknames, Ice Queen being the most common one. I never really cared. I had Anna."

„You still have her," Jack said. „Thank you for sharing this with me."

Jack smiled, and shared a little tidbit himself. „When I moved to Burgess," he started, feeling Elsa's attention on him, „I got bullied a lot the first year or so. I mean, I was the orphan kid with silver hair, for crying out loud. Of course kids are gonna notice. Some kid whose name I don't even remember anymore teased me about it, saying it turned silver after my parents died," Elsa winced slightly, Jack continued, „and then, out of nowhere, the kid got hit with a fucking prosthetic. That's how I met Hiccup. He stood up for me, back when I was in no condition to stand up for myself. I'll always be grateful for that."

„You are brothers in everything but blood," mumbled Elsa, feeling slightly sleepy.

„Just like Harry and Ron," Jack whispered.

„Just like Harry and Ron," she repeated, her voice slurring.

„Sleep, love. I'll be here when you wake up."

She felt him kiss her forehead. She was asleep within seconds.

__

_[Totally Spies]_

_astrid_hofferson: so... you fuck yet?_

_easter420: whomst_

_astrid_hofferson: u and hiccup_

_astrid_hofferson: jack and elsa, obvi_

_astrid_hofferson: dumbass_

_toothygirl: astrid, dont be rude_

_toothygirl: but like..._

_toothygirl: have u?_

_elsa_arendelle: ;)_

_jackdad_overland: oh my god_

_hiccough: fuCKIN KNEW IT_

_easter420: was it good?_

_elsa_arendelle: A lady does not kiss and tell._

_easter420: he fucked ye brains out didnt he_

_jackdad_overland: please don't ever say anything like that ever again_

_jackdad_overland: im begging you_

_jackdad_overland: also if any of you fucking tell mary_

_jackdad_overland: imma wax your hair_

„Pythagoras had a phobia of beans."

„God, I love you."

_elsa_arendelle: I think I'm ready._

_elsa_arendelle: To tell him everything._

_anna_arenbae: you've got this, sis!_

_anna_arenbae: good luck, i love you_

_elsa_arendelle: Love you, Anna._

Her hands were shaking, she couldn't help it. She forgot her meds at home, thought she wouldn't need to take them for another couple of hours. When Jack came out of the shower, he immediately noticed her distress and rushed over, kneeling in front of her and holding both of her hands in an attempt to steady her shaking.

„Elsa, what's going on? Talk to me," he pleaded.

Elsa just smiled in response, „I think it's time I tell you everything."

Five minutes later, they were sitting on his couch, facing one another. Elsa was playing with the them of her shirt, unsure how to start. Jack kept quiet, giving her all the time she needed.

„My mother and I used to be very close," Elsa eventually began. „Anna, too. But she was always daddy's little girl, while I was my.. mom's."

Jack caught the vocabulary change. „Just like with Anna, my mother and I were inseparable. Going out for lunch, shopping sprees, operas, you name." She took a deep breath. „She died when I was 18, in my senior year. Nearly four years ago."

Jack reached for her hand and she let him, grateful for the contact. It gave her the strength to continue, her voice slightly raspy, „It had taken me so long to realize it wasn't my fault."

„What happened?" he asked gently.

„A robber. A car. Her being stubborn and selfless. Her being blind, not noticing the traffic. Me being powerless to stop it," she said.

Slowly, Elsa told him the whole story. How she and her mother went out one night, not noticing the robber following them for blocks, waiting for his opportunity. How her mother told her to run while she fought back, the brave woman that she was. How her mother finally managed to set herself free, the robber giving up the fight, only for her to get hit by a car, all in a span of minutes. In front of her daughter.

„She died the moment she got hit," she choked out, tears running down her cheeks. She was gripping Jack's hand, her knuckles white. „I didn't get to say goodbye. None of us did."

Jack opened up his arms and she launched herself at him, clinging to him with all her might. She was sobbing into his chest, and his heart broke into fragments with each sob, with each shudder, with each shaky breath.

„I'm so, so sorry," he kept whispering, now crying as well, feeling her pain. If he could bear this burden instead of her, he would do so in a second, without hesitation. But he knew it wasn't right.

Elsa eventually pulled herself together, violent sobs turning into soft sniffles. She was tired, but once she untangled herself from him, she was determined to continue.

„You don't have to," Jack said.

„I want to, Jack. Please."

„Okay."

Elsa continued. „After my mother died, my father... started working more. He threw himself into it, alienating both me and Anna, distancing himself from us. I guess it was his own grieving process, similar to my own," she said. „The last few months of high school still remains a blur. I graduated, gave my valedictorian speech. Somehow. Took a year off, traveled the world. Ended up in Norway for nearly nine months. Just like father, I isolated from my sister completely, and it nearly broke us."

Elsa told him how after she returned, she and Anna didn't speak for another two months. How she broke down in front of her sister, not being able to take it anymore. How her sister hugged her tightly and tried to convince her to see a psychiatrist.

„Sandy helped her," she said, „a lot. But more importantly, she's strong. Stronger than I could ever hope to be."

Jack squeezed her hand. Elsa squeezed back.

„I refused to see him. I was stubborn, and pigheaded, and so, so damaged. I didn't think I could be saved. I started to spiral, razors became my best friends," she choked out, the last sentence hitting Jack in the gut. He had noticed the faint scars on her wrists, but at the time, he didn't think anything of them.

He should have.

„Y-you don't... do.. do you?"

Elsa seemed to understand his question and was quick to reassure him. „No! No, no," she caressed his cheek, „Not since then. I promise, okay? I promise."

„Okay," he said, touching the hand on his cheek and kissing it.

Elsa continued. „Eventually, it got so bad I stopped going out altogether. I didn't eat, didn't sleep, barely talked. I got diagnosed with anxiety when I was 7, only a few years before SPD, which, apparently, go hand in hand."

Jack nodded in agreement.

„My SPD and anxiety increased tenfold, and I had panic attacks whenever I came outside. And when Anna saw my scars... let's just say that there was no room for negotiation about seeing Sandy," she smiled. „And it was a good thing. The first good thing to happen to me in more than a year."

She explained how Sandy diagnosed her with PTSD and depression, how he confirmed her SPD and anxiety, how he helped her realize her mother's death wasn't her fault and it was a coincidence, how she shouldn't blame herself for something that she could not have prevented. How he had helped her with so many things, like her fear of abandonment.

„I thought I was broken for so long, Jack," she whispered, „so, so long. And it turned out I'm not. I'm just damaged. But even damaged things can be beautiful in their own way, can they not?"

When she finished, she looked at him, biting her lip and awaiting his reaction. Jack chose his next words carefully.

„I can't even begin to imagine the amount of willpower and inner strength it must have taken you," he started, deciding to speak from the heart, „to not only go through something like this, but to come out on top, and to be as amazing of a person as you are. You're the strongest person I know, Elsa. I admire you more than you could possibly know, and I love you. Nothing is going to change that. Ever."

Elsa felt tears prickle her eyes, and thinking that while she'd cried enough for one day, she still let the tears fall. This time, they were tears of surprise, tears of happiness, acceptance, and love. She threw herself at him and he laid down on the couch, wrapping his arms around her. He kissed the crown of her head, letting his lips linger on her hair a bit longer than was necessary. Elsa didn't seem to mind, she only sighed happily, now fully relaxed in his arms.

She was home.

„And for the record, you're not an ice queen. You're more like... a snowflake."

„Oversensitive, easily offended, clueless?"

„Was thinking more along the lines of unique and beautiful, but whatever floats your boat, snowflake."

„Please, tell me this isn't your new pet name for me."

„Too late, love. Wait. Too late, snowflake."

„Oh my God."

„Why did Mary call you Frost the other day?"

„Oh, right... after the accident, she started calling me Jack Frost. Never really questioned it, honestly.. she's the only person that calls me that."

„What do you call her?"

„Dipshit."

When Anna heard the telltale roar of a motorcycle through the open window, she immediately knew who it was. And considering it had been hours since Elsa's last message, Anna figured all went well. When Elsa wasn't coming up, Anna grinned to herself and opened the door, the sight of the couple making out in front of her not surprising her in the least. They didn't even notice her, lost in their own world. And lips, apparently.

If Anna weren't such a sucker for love, she'd have gagged at the sight of her sister's tongue in someone else's throat. Speaking of throats, Anna cleared hers.

„Hello there," she greeted, a shit eating grin on her face.

The couple immediately separated. Anna's green widened.

„General Kenobi," said Jack without hesitation. Anna rolled her eyes, as did Elsa, who was blushing slightly.

„I suppose the conversation went well?" Anna asked, lifting an eyebrow, her amusement shining through her eyes. Her sister was glowing, alight with happiness, a stark contrast to her usual air of indifference the past few years. Seeing her sister like that made Anna nearly tear up, but she was trying too hard not to laugh at Elsa's embarrassment to actually let the tears fall.

Elsa cleared her throat, looking up at Jack and smiling. „Yes, it did."

Jack put his arm around her waist, and Anna rolled her eyes fondly. „Okay, guys. I know neither of you is a fan of PDA. Elsa, movie night? There's this new movie I've been dying to see."

Jack got the hint, „Sounds like a great idea. Hiccup, Aster and me have a video game night planned. We don't, actually, but we're about to. Anyway, I should probably go. You guys have fun," he said, pecking Elsa on the lips. „Love you, bye."

„Love you, too," Elsa greeted, her voice slightly dreamy. Anna was losing her shit, both at the shock of her sister openly saying the big L word, and also very much delighted by the sight of Elsa swooning. It was hilarious.

„What?" Elsa asked, confused. Anna just shook her head, dragging her inside the apartment.

„My little sister, all grown up," Anna pretended to wipe a tear from her eye.

„I'm older than you."

„Irrelevant."

_[The Boys]_

_jackdad_overland: anyone up 4 some gaming 2nite_

_easter420: oh look who found time for his friends_

_easter420: and not just his gf_

_easter420: jk ofc im up for it_

_jackdad_overland: bitch ass hoe_

_jackdad_overland: i miss u guys_

_easter420: u legit saw both of us yesterday u pumpkin_

_jackdad_overland: shut up_

_jackdad_overland: i can feel the love all the way to my apartment_

_jackdad_overland: im not in it but i can still feel it there_

_jackdad_overland: hiccyboi? wbu?_

_hiccough: depends on what, im not playing csgo again_

_hiccough: not after the lit time_

_hiccough: last time, i meant last time_

_jackdad_overland: bruh_

_jackdad_overland: overwatch?_

_easter420: ye im game_

_hiccough: no ur aster_

_hiccough: jk im game 2_

_jackdad_overland: gr8_

_jackdad_overland: imma buy some food and shit_

_jackdad_overland: cya then_

_jackdad_overland: elsa would actually kill me if she saw the amount of junk food i bought_

_jackdad_overland: like legit_

_jackdad_overland: actually kill me_

_easter420: is there a day where you dont talk about your gf you lovesick bastard_

_jackdad_overland: not really no_

_jackdad_overland: why_

_hiccough: how do u sigh over text_

Elsa's phone buzzed, receiving a notification of Jack sending her a snap. It was fairly unusual, considering neither of them used the app much. Snapchat had always been more of an Anna thing, or a Tooth thing, in Jack's case. Mary thing, perhaps? The only reason she even had the app was because Anna forced her to... and because her sister actually made her an account and she just went along with it. Elsa opened the snap, and she smiled slightly at the photo. The selfie captioned her boyfriend with a computer screen behind him, capturing some sort of video game. He was smiling, his grin wide and slightly mischievous. The caption read, _yall wont fucking believe this but we won! this is gon be a long night.. also streaks, because i should probably start using the godforsaken app lmao_. Elsa rolled her eyes, the gesture mostly affectionate. She swiped up and replied.

_the_arendamn: Jack, how many energy drinks have you drunk?_

_jack_ass: idk like 4?_

_the_arendamn: Honey, it's 10 PM._

_jack_ass: i kno right_

_jack_ass: its gon be al ooong ass night_

_jack_ass: seperate the a from the l_

_the_arendamn: It's gonna be a l oooong ass night?_

_jack_ass: now ur just making fun of me_

_the_arendamn: Me? Making fun of you? Never._

_jack_ass: smh ur lucky ur cute_

_jack_ass: oh shit the match is starting gtg_

_jack_ass: u have fun with the movies! ttyl snowflake_

_jack_ass: ly_

_the_arendamn: Love you, too, dummy._

_the_arendamn: Also, junk food is not good for you. I see all, Jackson Overland._

_the_arendamn: I see all._

Elsa woke up to the light of her phone's screen and its subsequent buzzing, prompting her to pick up the call at 4 in the morning.

„Huh?" she answered, her voice groggy and sleepy and all kinds of messed up.

_„If someone told me that I could render you speechless by calling you at 4 AM, I would've done like two months ago,"_ she immediately recognized the voice as Jack's, but there was something off about it.

„Jack, are you drunk? Is everything okay?" Elsa felt more awake now, her concern making the tiredness disappear.

_„Yeah.. I... I don't know..? I mean everything was fine, but... I had an argument with North. Like legit.. an argument with my fucking godfather at 2 in the morning because he decided now was the time to call me and tell me he wants me to take over the company after college and I just.."_ she heard him sigh, _„,may have opened a bottle of wine or two. I'm sorry to wake you up, I just wanted to hear your voice."_

Strangely, his words weren't slurring together. He wasn't drunk, not really. Tipsy, probably.

„Hey, hey, baby, it's okay," she said softly, „want me to come over? We can talk about it."

_„No, no. It's late..early? I don't want you to walk through the city alone. And I'm in no shape to pick you up. Could we just.. cold you just talk to me? About anything? We can talk about.. all this tomorrow, if you want to. Right now I just wanna hear your voice."_

Elsa smiled, „Of course, love."

She started talking – about everything. Told him about the movie she and Anna watched only a few hours ago, told him about the stuck up professor in her Math class. She talked about the book she'd been reading, how she found the love story slightly toxic but how the other parts were good. She described him the adorable kitten she saw on Instagram and how she sent it to Hiccup, rambled about her ideas for a drawing she'd been thinking about lately.

Sometime during her talking, the line had fallen silent completely, the only sound coming from the other side being deep, relaxed breaths. Elsa smiled, glad her voice lulled him to sleep, happy to give him at least some comfort, the way he never hesitated to give her.

„Goodnight, Jack," she whispered and hung up, her voice tired from all the talking, yet not regretting anything in the least.

_jackdad_overland: aight i should probs explain_

_elsa_arendelle: That would be appreciated, yes._

_jackdad_overland: are u angry? disappointed?_

_elsa_arendelle: Love, I am neither. Just concerned. Talk to me?_

_jackdad_overland: aye_

_jackdad_overland: meet you at jitters in half an hour?_

_elsa_arendelle: Deal._

Unlike last time, Jack managed to arrive first, ordering a hot chocolate for him and a coffee for Elsa. The girl in question joined him not fifteen minutes after his arrival and sat down next to him, both of them enjoying each other's presence, yet feeling the baby elephant in the room.

„Right, I should probably apologize for last night," Jack started.

„No, you shouldn't," she stopped him, „It's alright, Jack. It really is. I'm glad you called me, okay? I'm glad I could help you."

„Did I tell you how much I love you?" Jack asked in awe. Elsa shrugged, smiling and taking a sip of her coffee.

„Wouldn't mind hearing it again."

„I love you."

„I love you, too. Now, I believe you wanted to tell me what happened last night?" Elsa asked, as straightforward as always.

The words came out of his mouth before he could even think about them, „North wants me to take over his company after I gradute, but I've never really been interested in business management and leading an actual, honest to God Fortune 500 company. Seriously, I just want to teach and be happy. I know it might not be like, super ambitious, but I've always wanted to do something that matters, something I'd love. I love North, I really do, he's like a father to me, but we don't always see eye to eye on certain things."

Elsa looked at him, piecing the puzzles together, forming a large picture. „Okay, so let me get this straight. Your godfather wants you to take over a very, very large company, despite you having no education or idea how to actually lead one. Correct?"

„Correct."

„What is he thinking? Jesus Christ," she exclaimed. Jack just shrugged, not having an answer.

„I don't know. I mean, Mary said that she wouldn't mind taking it over, but she's too young and North's wanted to retire for years. Is it selfish of me? To give this burden to Mary?"

Elsa smiled. „No, Jack. It's not. You are allowed to live your life. Talk to him, talk to Mary, preferably at the same time. Figure something out. If Mary wants to take over, North could start grooming her, she's the ideal age for it."

„How do you know so much about this stuff?" Jack asked. „I mean, I know you're minoring in business and all that, but still."

Elsa took a deep breath and explained, „My family comes from old money. That's why I don't really have a job at the moment and focus on my studies, instead. Despite the fact that my father and I don't talk, I am still a trust fund child, basically. So is Anna." Elsa was quick to add, „I am not lazy, nor do I want to live a jobless life. I do study hard, but... you know."

Jack grinned, „That's alright, I get it. I have a trust fund too, to be fair. So does Mary," he laughed, not surprised in the least. Now he knew how she and Anna could afford such a large apartment, even with the two of them sharing it.

„But you work at a Starbucks," she said, puzzled.

„You're cute when you're confused," he remarked. Elsa blushed. „I use the fund to pay for my apartment and tuition, but other than that, all the money I spend are from the job. I don't really see it as my money, to be honest... they're North's... and maybe my parents'. I consider it to be for.. I don't know.. emergencies only?"

Elsa nodded, „That's fair. Though now I feel spoiled."

Jack grinned, and she beamed at him, happy to see him smile. „Which reminds me," she said, „my father apparently wants to reconnect. He asked Anna and I to spend the Christmas with him."

„And what do you think?"

„I don't know... I think I will accept. As will Anna. What do you think?"

She wanted to know his opinion on the matter, now that he had the big picture. Jack thought about it for a second and replied, „I think that family is the most important thing. If he actually wants to reconnect, and you're willing to forgive him, I say go for it. God knows I wouldn't hesitate."

She felt a small, rather sharp pain in her chest at his last sentence, her heart going out to him. „I believe so, too."

She caressed his cheek gently, and together, as one, they leaned into each other, their lips meeting.

Who cares about PDA, right?

Three years later, with Elsa leaning into him, both of them watching Netflix in his apartment, Jack looked at her. When Elsa noticed him, she asked with a small smile on her face, „What?"

„Marry me."

„Yes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, this wonderful story comes to an end! 
> 
> Don't worry, there will be an epilogue, which I'll post within the next few days.
> 
> This is officially my first complete multichapter story (well, not complete, the epilogue will be a bitch to write).
> 
> Thank you, all of you, who read the story - and if someone reads this in the future (today's date being March 30 2020), thank you for (probably) binge-reading the story. I hope you enjoyed it!


	8. Epilogue

„Are you ready?" Anna asked, smiling.

Elsa took a deep breath and grinned. „I've never felt so certain. Of anything."

„Good. Dad will be here any second, I've got to scramble. No tears, okay?"

„No promises," Elsa winked. Her sister only rolled her eyes and beamed.

„Would you stop humming _Everybody_ under your breath?" hissed Hiccup from his post as the best man, a tiny bit annoyed but mostly overjoyed.

„Not my fault the minister looks like Howie," whispered Jack, having trouble keeping still. He stopped humming the song, though. Looking around, he smiled nervously at the guests, unable to keep his anxiety down, nor being able to keep the grin off his face. Then again, why should he? He had the right to feel nervous. Today had, so far, been absolutely perfect, the only exception being not seeing his wife-to-be the whole day. That, however, would soon be rectified.

In the front row, North gave Jack an encouraging smile, with Jack nodding back at him. Looking around, Jack could see that the bridesmaids and the groomsmen looking almost as excited as him. Anna and Tooth sent him look of pure joy, while Astrid and Mary only smiled. To his left, Hiccup, Kristoff, and Aster shuffled quietly. A few seconds later, the Wedding March started, and Jack straightened, feeling the anxiety wash over him like a storm.

Jack wasn't sure whether the feeling intensified or disappeared altogether when he saw the bride and her father enter the room, their arms interlocked. Jack's breath caught, his jaw on the floor. She looked absolutely beautiful, positively radiant. The snow white dress clung to her as if it was a part of her, complimenting her pale skin and the blue of her eyes and the platinum of her hair, creating an angelic image. Their eyes met, sky meeting cobalt, excitement and happiness and love radiating off them both. Everything, everyone but them disappeared to one another. Elsa smiled, her grin wide and so incredibly happy Jack felt the air leave out of his lungs in one fell swoop.

Elsa smiled at her father, and he smiled back, before letting her go and sitting down next to North. She then looked at Jack, her expression open and so full of love. His expression mirrored hers.

„Dearly beloved," the minister started, „we are gathered together here..."

Neither of them listened, lost in each other.

„Are you ready?" Elsa whispered, almost too quiet to hear.

„To spend the rest of my life with you? Without question."

Elsa beamed at him, and he beamed back.

„Will the parent of the bride and groom please stand?" the minister asked. Jack and Elsa started paying attention.

Agnarr and North stood up. „Are you willing, now and always, to support and strengthen this marriage by upholding both Elsa and Jackson with your love, your concern, and your counsel?"

Agnarr and North said at the same time, „We are."

„Thank you, you may be seated."

The minister looked at the couple, and said with a smile on his face, „If therefore, it be your desire to be united in this holy bond, will you signify that fact by joining your right hands."

They did so, and before either of them could say anything, the Howie-doppelganger of a minister continued, „I believe you have prepared your own vows?"

Both of them nodded. Jack took a deep breath and looked at the love of his life. „When we first met," he started, „I had absolutely no idea we'd eventually end up here. I couldn't, wouldn't even dare to hope that I would end up with someone like you. Someone so strong, so loving, so caring.. someone so good, who went through so much much and still remained standing."

Tears were falling down her cheek, and with one hand, he wiped them off. „Each and every day I get to spend with you is a blessing. Seeing you smile and laugh brings me so much joy I can't even begin to describe it. You're my everything, snowflake. The love of my love. My best friend... shut up, Hiccup," he said and the entire venue laughed. „My confidant. You inspire me. To become better. For myself and for you. I love you, Elsa, and I'll love you for as long as you will have me, and even then."

When he finished, he was crying, too. What didn't help with his tears was the fact that Elsa's voice came out slightly hoarse when she started, „I swear we did not coordinate this, but," Jack chuckled, „when we first met, you made me laugh. You made me laugh for the first time in what felt like a long time by something other than my sister. You drew me in by your openness, by your willingness to be vulnerable. By your mischievous, yet vulnerable and kind nature. Jack, you are the best person I know. I've never met anyone so kind, a person with a soul as beautiful as yours," her voice became strained from all the emotion, and Jack squeezed her hand. „You are my compass, and you will forever be. You are the love of my life, and I love you more than more than anything, even chocolate."

Jack laughed properly this time, along with the venue. Hilarious duo, the both of them. Elsa continued, „And I want you to be always by my side, just as I will always stand by yours. You are it, Jack. You always will be."

This time, it was her who had to wipe the tears running down his face. Both of them were smiling so hard their cheeks hurt, yet neither of them cared.

„May the ring bearer bring the rings, please?"

In the past four years, Hiccup had managed to train Toothless to act, more or less, like a dog. It truly came in handy when the cat, no longer kitten, strutted down the aisle with a box in his mouth. Most of the guests cooed.

„How did you train the cat to act like a dog, mate? I still don't get it, what the hell," muttered Aster. Kristoff nodded in agreement.

Hiccup only shrugged. „A magician never reveals his secret."

Toothless came to a stop. Hiccup petted him and took the box. Opening it, Elsa took out the bigger ring while Jack took the smaller one.

The Howie minister started, „Do you, Jackson Overland, take this woman whose hand you now hold, to be your wife, and do you solemnly promise to love, cherish, honor and protect her; to forsake all others for her sake; to cleave onto her, and her only, until death shall part you?"

Jack smiled. „I do."

„And do you, Elsa Arendelle, take this man whose hand you now hold, to be your husband, and do you solemnly promise to love, cherish, honor and protect him; to forsake all others for his sake; to cleave onto him, and him only, until death shall part you?"

Without hesitation, Elsa said, „I do."

The minister looked at Jack and said, „Repeat after me."

Jack nodded and started, „I, Jackson Frost, take you, Elsa Arendelle, to be my lawfully wedded wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part."

He slipped the ring on her finger.

"I, Elsa Arendelle, take you, Jackson Frost, to be my lawfully wedded husband. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until health do us part."

She slipped the ring on his finger.

The minister grinned and proclaimed, "I now pronounce you husband and wife." Looking at Jack, he said, "You may kiss the bride."

Jack, in his dramatic fashion, did not need to be told anything else. Grabbing her by the waist, he gave her a wink before dipping her down and kissing her. She put her arms around his neck and smiled into the kiss. Vaguely, they heard the guests cheer and, in some cases, whoop. Once they separated, Elsa whispered, "Hello, Mr. Arendelle."

Jack smiled. "Hello, Mrs. Overland."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, this is it. Thank you, everyone, for reading this story and leaving kind reviews! The original premise of the story, to which is still remains faithful, was to be a feel-good story one can binge-read and not think too hard about. I believe it's fulfilled its intended purpose. To be quite honest, this was probably the hardest story I've yet written - not because of the amount of time it had taken me to write, but mostly because of the amount of research and brainstorming I put into this. Dozens of ideas scrapped and rewritten, the story is as good as it can be. Or so I believe.
> 
> Again, thank you, all of you, for reading. I hope we shall see each other soon!


End file.
